Is My Copy of Ontogeny and Phylogeny a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Belknap Press of Harvard University Press first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page; collates roughly xvi plus 501 pages with figures, tables, notes, bibliography, glossary and index
• Bound in publisher's brownish-red (red-brown) cloth with the spine lettered in silver, issued in the publisher's tan pictorial dust jacket lettered in green and carrying the printed price
• Gould's first scholarly monograph
• Spine fading of the jacket and light surface scuffing are commonly encountered on this title

How Belknap Press / Harvard University Press marked a first edition

• Classic Harvard tell: the YEAR OF PUBLICATION is printed on the TITLE PAGE of a first edition; on later printings the year is removed from the title page and a printing/reprint notice is added to the copyright page…
• Modern HUP (and Belknap) books carry a descending number line on the copyright page; lowest digit present indicates the printing (a '1' = first printing).

Full Belknap Press / Harvard University Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1977, is the true first. This is Gould's first technical book; it appeared in 1977, the same year as his first essay collection, and which of the two came first is undetermined.P-029558

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. Look for red-brown cloth with silver spine lettering and the tan/green priced pictorial jacket with no later-printing statement.P-029559

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Ontogeny and Phylogeny a first edition?

A first edition of Ontogeny and Phylogeny by Stephen Jay Gould (Belknap Press / Harvard University Press) is identified by: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page; collates roughly xvi plus 501 pages with figures, tables, notes, bibliography, glossary and index.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1977, is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition. Look for red-brown cloth with silver spine lettering and the tan/green priced pictorial jacket with no later-printing statement.

I have a first edition of Ontogeny and Phylogeny — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.