# Is "The Pine Barrens" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Pine Barrens by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968) is identified by: First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, 157 pages, octavo, bearing the statement 'First printing, 1968' on the copyright page with no later-printing line. US true first edition (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, 157 pages, octavo, bearing the statement 'First printing, 1968' on the copyright page with no later-printing line
- Bound in green cloth boards with green endpapers and a colored top edge, gilt lettering to the spine
- First-state dust jacket retains the printed publisher's price on the front flap; a first is 'unclipped' when that price is present
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, 157 pages, octavo, bearing the statement 'First printing, 1968' on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, 157 pages, octavo, bearing the statement 'First printing, 1968' on the copyright page with no later-printing line. Bound in green cloth boards with green endpapers and a colored top edge, gilt lettering to the spine. First-state dust jacket retains the printed publisher's price on the front flap; a first is 'unclipped' when that price is present.

## Is this the true first?
US true first edition (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Pine Barrens* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pine-barrens
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.