# Is "Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1991) is identified by: Norton, 1991) carries the Norton "First Edition" wording on the copyright page together with a full descending number line in which the digit 1 is present, and the printed price on the front dust-jacket flap. US true first (W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first printing (W. W. Norton, 1991) carries the Norton "First Edition" wording on the copyright page together with a full descending number line in which the digit 1 is present, and the printed price on the front dust-jacket flap
- The binding is quarter tan cloth over teal/blue paper boards with blue lettering on the spine; the jacket bears a color illustration of brontosauruses in a swamp across front, spine, and back
- This is the fifth collection of Gould's Natural History essays
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US first printing (W. W. Norton, 1991) carries the Norton "First Edition" wording on the copyright page together with a full descending… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US first printing (W. W. Norton, 1991) carries the Norton "First Edition" wording on the copyright page together with a full descending number line in which the digit 1 is present, and the printed price on the front dust-jacket flap. The binding is quarter tan cloth over teal/blue paper boards with blue lettering on the spine; the jacket bears a color illustration of brontosauruses in a swamp across front, spine, and back. This is the fifth collection of Gould's Natural History essays.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (W. W. Norton, 1991); the true first is identified by the stated First Edition plus the intact number line containing 1 and the priced first-issue jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent BCE; any book-club printing lacks the Norton number line and the printed dust-jacket price, and is typically a smaller, lighter volume.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bully-for-brontosaurus-reflections-in-natural-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.