# Is "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" by David McCullough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2011) is identified by: The first printing carries the Simon & Schuster 'First Edition' statement together with a number line on the copyright page in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing; Simon & Schuster's convention prints this line in the split form 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. US true first is the 2011 Simon & Schuster hardcover; ISBN 9781416571766.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing carries the Simon & Schuster 'First Edition' statement together with a number line on the copyright page in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing
- Simon & Schuster's convention prints this line in the split form 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
- The book is bound in white boards with a quarter blue cloth spine stamped in silver, with pictorial endpapers
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price (an unclipped jacket is preferred, but price presence rather than any amount is the point)
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David McCullough |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries the Simon & Schuster 'First Edition' statement together with a number line on the copyright page in which the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first printing carries the Simon & Schuster 'First Edition' statement together with a number line on the copyright page in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing; Simon & Schuster's convention prints this line in the split form 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. The book is bound in white boards with a quarter blue cloth spine stamped in silver, with pictorial endpapers. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price (an unclipped jacket is preferred, but price presence rather than any amount is the point).

## Is this the true first?
US true first is the 2011 Simon & Schuster hardcover; ISBN 9781416571766. There is no earlier edition, so the first S&S printing is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition noted. Confirm a first printing by the 'First Edition' statement plus the number line containing 1; later printings drop the 1 and may substitute a printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris* by David McCullough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-greater-journey-americans-in-paris
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.