# Is "Ontogeny and Phylogeny" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ontogeny and Phylogeny by Stephen Jay Gould (Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1977) 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. US Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1977, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Belknap Press / Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | Belknap Press / Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Belknap Press of Harvard University Press first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page; collates roughly xvi… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ontogeny and Phylogeny* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ontogeny-and-phylogeny
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.