# Is "The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914" by David McCullough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 1977) is identified by: First edition, first printing (Simon & Schuster, 1977), ISBN 0-671-22563-4, with a complete number line running 10 down to 1 on the copyright page. US Simon & Schuster 1977 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing (Simon & Schuster, 1977), ISBN 0-671-22563-4, with a complete number line running 10 down to 1 on the copyright page
- A substantial octavo of roughly 698 pages with photographs and maps; the first-issue dust jacket bears the original printed price and cover art by Wendell Minor
- National Book Award winner
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David McCullough |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing (Simon & Schuster, 1977), ISBN 0-671-22563-4, with a complete number line running 10 down to 1 on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing (Simon & Schuster, 1977), ISBN 0-671-22563-4, with a complete number line running 10 down to 1 on the copyright page. A substantial octavo of roughly 698 pages with photographs and maps; the first-issue dust jacket bears the original printed price and cover art by Wendell Minor. National Book Award winner.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster 1977 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions exist and are distinguished by the absence of a printed price on the jacket and typically a blind-stamped depression to the rear board; they may also lack the trade number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914* by David McCullough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-path-between-the-seas-the-creation-of-the-panama-canal-1
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.