The Mismeasure of Man
The Mismeasure of Man is Stephen Jay Gould's history and critique of attempts to rank human groups by measured intelligence, first published by W. W. Norton in New York in 1981. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a revised 1996 edition added chapters answering The Bell Curve.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First edition
- Norton, 1981
- First published
- W. W. Norton, New York, 1981
The first edition of The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould was published in New York by Norton in 1981. We track 2 editions.
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First edition
Later and other editions
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
Read next
- Comes after
- The Panda's Thumb
- Followed by
- Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes
In print
- Editions recorded
- 23 on Open Library, 9 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 9 languages
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
More by Stephen Jay Gould
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How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of The Mismeasure of Man?
The first edition of The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould was published in New York by Norton in 1981.
How many editions of The Mismeasure of Man are there?
We track 2 editions of The Mismeasure of Man, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
What should I read after The Mismeasure of Man?
In order, it follows The Panda's Thumb and it is followed by Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes, according to Wikidata.
Where these facts come from
- The Mismeasure of Man, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Mismeasure of Man (Norton, 1981), Open Library (openlibrary.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 12 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.