# Is "The Crofter and the Laird" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux stated first printing, bound in red cloth, in a tartan-patterned dust jacket bearing the printed price. US true first (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970), with a stated first printing on the copyright page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux stated first printing, bound in red cloth, in a tartan-patterned dust jacket bearing the printed price
- Illustrated by James Graves
- The copyright page carries the 1969, 1970 dates
- McPhee's account of life on the Hebridean island of Colonsay
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux stated first printing, bound in red cloth, in a tartan-patterned dust jacket bearing the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux stated first printing, bound in red cloth, in a tartan-patterned dust jacket bearing the printed price. Illustrated by James Graves. The copyright page carries the 1969, 1970 dates. McPhee's account of life on the Hebridean island of Colonsay.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1970), with a stated first printing on the copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No known book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Crofter and the Laird* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-crofter-and-the-laird
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.