# Is "Alias Grace" by Margaret Atwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (McClelland & Stewart, 1996) is identified by: Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1996, roughly 460 to 470 pages, with the copyright page showing the first printing and no further-printing line. Canadian M&S is the true first; Doubleday (US) and the UK edition are same-year firsts-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1996, roughly 460 to 470 pages, with the copyright page showing the first printing and no further-printing line
- First-state jacket unclipped with the price on the flap
- US Doubleday and UK editions also appeared in 1996 but later
- Publisher imprint reads McClelland & Stewart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Margaret Atwood |
| Publisher | McClelland & Stewart |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | Canadian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1996, roughly 460 to 470 pages, with the copyright page showing the first printing and no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1996, roughly 460 to 470 pages, with the copyright page showing the first printing and no further-printing line. First-state jacket unclipped with the price on the flap. US Doubleday and UK editions also appeared in 1996 but later.

## Is this the true first?
Canadian M&S is the true first; Doubleday (US) and the UK edition are same-year firsts-thus. Winner of the 1996 Giller Prize and shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Doubleday and book-club copies lack a printed jacket price and carry a rear-board blind-stamp; distinguish them from the trade Doubleday first, and both from the Canadian true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Alias Grace* by Margaret Atwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/alias-grace
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.