# Is "Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1983) is identified by: First edition bound in quarter green cloth over cream/beige paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine; identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and issued in a priced dust jacket. US true first (W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W. W. Norton, 1983
- First edition bound in quarter green cloth over cream/beige paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine; identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and issued in a priced dust jacket
- Third collection of Gould's Natural History magazine essays
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W. W. Norton, 1983 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
W. W. Norton, 1983. First edition bound in quarter green cloth over cream/beige paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine; identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and issued in a priced dust jacket. Third collection of Gould's Natural History magazine essays.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (W. W. Norton). Note that a second printing exists within the same 'first edition' setting; the true first-printing copy shows the number line ending in 1, while later printings drop the low digits.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition; distinguish the first printing from later Norton printings by the number line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hens-teeth-and-horses-toes-further-reflections-in-natural-hi
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.