# Is "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2015) is identified by: The first printing states 'First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2015' on the copyright page, accompanied by a number line in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing (S&S's convention prints this as 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2). US true first is the 2015 Simon & Schuster hardcover; ISBN 9781476728742.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing states 'First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2015' on the copyright page, accompanied by a number line in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing (S&S's convention prints this as 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2)
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price (unclipped preferred; price presence rather than any amount is the point)
- Signed first printings carry McCullough's signature on the title page
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David McCullough |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing states 'First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2015' on the copyright page, accompanied by a number line in which… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first printing states 'First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2015' on the copyright page, accompanied by a number line in which the presence of the numeral 1 confirms the first printing (S&S's convention prints this as 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2). The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price (unclipped preferred; price presence rather than any amount is the point). Signed first printings carry McCullough's signature on the title page.

## Is this the true first?
US true first is the 2015 Simon & Schuster hardcover; ISBN 9781476728742. No earlier edition precedes it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition noted. Confirm a first printing by the dated 'First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2015' statement plus the number line containing 1; later impressions drop the 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Wright Brothers* by David McCullough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-wright-brothers
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.