# Is "How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York" by Jacob A. Riis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York by Jacob A. Riis (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1890) is identified by: First edition, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, published January 1890, expanded from Riis's 1889 Scribner's Magazine feature built on the same underlying material.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, published January 1890, expanded from Riis's 1889 Scribner's Magazine feature built on the same underlying material
- It contains more than forty-five illustrations, including eighteen halftone reproductions of Riis's own photographs alongside line drawings, and the title page credits 'illustrations chiefly from photographs taken by the author' -- among the earliest trade books to build its argument around halftone photographic reproduction
- First-printing copies carry 'Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Company' on the copyright page alongside the 1890 date, with no later edition statement on the title page
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jacob A. Riis |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1890 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, published January 1890, expanded from Riis's 1889 Scribner's Magazine feature built on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, published January 1890, expanded from Riis's 1889 Scribner's Magazine feature built on the same underlying material. It contains more than forty-five illustrations, including eighteen halftone reproductions of Riis's own photographs alongside line drawings, and the title page credits 'illustrations chiefly from photographs taken by the author' -- among the earliest trade books to build its argument around halftone photographic reproduction. First-printing copies carry 'Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Company' on the copyright page alongside the 1890 date, with no later edition statement on the title page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York* by Jacob A. Riis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/how-the-other-half-lives-studies-among-the-tenements-of-new
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.