# Is "Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1989) is identified by: Norton, New York, 1989; 347 pages, illustrated. The US Norton edition is the true first (published 1989); the UK Hutchinson Radius edition followed in 1990.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W. W. Norton, New York, 1989
- 347 pages, illustrated
- Bound in half cloth over boards with a blue cloth spine lettered in white and yellow
- The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in '1' for the first printing
- The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W. W. Norton, New York, 1989 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
W. W. Norton, New York, 1989; 347 pages, illustrated. Bound in half cloth over boards with a blue cloth spine lettered in white and yellow. The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in '1' for the first printing. The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Norton edition is the true first (published 1989); the UK Hutchinson Radius edition followed in 1990.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Identify later printings by a number line that no longer descends to '1'; the Penguin/paperback and book-club issues are reprints, not the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wonderful-life-the-burgess-shale-and-the-nature-of-history
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.