# Is "La Place de la Concorde Suisse" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of La Place de la Concorde Suisse by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1984) is identified by: FSG first printing, identified by the copyright-page printing statement with no additional-printing line, in the original silver dust jacket with the printed price intact on the front flap. US true first (FSG, 1984); McPhee published his trade books exclusively through FSG.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- FSG first printing, identified by the copyright-page printing statement with no additional-printing line, in the original silver dust jacket with the printed price intact on the front flap
- McPhee's study of the Swiss Army, an octavo of roughly 150 pages
- Bound in light grey cloth stamped in blind, the spine lettered in black
- Referenced in Ahearn's Author Price Guides
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | FSG first printing, identified by the copyright-page printing statement with no additional-printing line, in the original silver dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
FSG first printing, identified by the copyright-page printing statement with no additional-printing line, in the original silver dust jacket with the printed price intact on the front flap. McPhee's study of the Swiss Army, an octavo of roughly 150 pages. Bound in light grey cloth stamped in blind, the spine lettered in black. Referenced in Ahearn's Author Price Guides.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (FSG, 1984); McPhee published his trade books exclusively through FSG. A separate signed limited issue of 200 numbered copies was also produced, issued without dust jacket in a slipcase.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No known book-club edition. Confirm the first printing by the copyright-page statement and the intact silver jacket bearing its printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *La Place de la Concorde Suisse* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/la-place-de-la-concorde-suisse
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.