# Is "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt (Scribner, 1996) is identified by: Copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1. The US Scribner edition is the true first, preceding the UK (Flamingo/HarperCollins) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1
- Maroon cloth spine over maroon boards with gilt spine lettering; octavo, 364 pp
- ISBN 0-684-87435-0
- First-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frank McCourt |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1. Maroon cloth spine over maroon boards with gilt spine lettering; octavo, 364 pp; ISBN 0-684-87435-0. First-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Scribner edition is the true first, preceding the UK (Flamingo/HarperCollins) edition. The book won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography. Signed first printings carry no precedence over unsigned firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No widely distributed US book-club hardcover competes with the Scribner first; the common confusion is later Scribner printings (number line ending in 2 or higher) and the UK first. A true first shows the 1 in the number line and the priced first-issue jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Angela's Ashes: A Memoir* by Frank McCourt a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/angelas-ashes-a-memoir
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.