# Is "The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1985) is identified by: Norton first printing (New York, 1985), the fourth collection of Gould's Natural History essays, about 476 pages with black-and-white illustrations. US true first (W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W. W. Norton first printing (New York, 1985), the fourth collection of Gould's Natural History essays, about 476 pages with black-and-white illustrations
- The first printing carries the Norton number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Bound in quarter maroon/burgundy cloth over beige (cream) paper-covered boards with gilt lettering to the spine, and issued in a white pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W. W. Norton first printing (New York, 1985), the fourth collection of Gould's Natural History essays, about 476 pages with black-and-white… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
W. W. Norton first printing (New York, 1985), the fourth collection of Gould's Natural History essays, about 476 pages with black-and-white illustrations. The first printing carries the Norton number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Bound in quarter maroon/burgundy cloth over beige (cream) paper-covered boards with gilt lettering to the spine, and issued in a white pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (W. W. Norton, 1985).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent trade book-club edition; any club variant would lack the number line and printed jacket price and is typically distinguished by a blind stamp to the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-flamingos-smile-reflections-in-natural-history
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.