# Is "Lives of Girls and Women" by Alice Munro a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1971) is identified by: True first is the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited edition (Toronto; title page also lists Montreal, New York, London), 1971 - Munro's only novel. Munro's only novel; the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson 1971 is the true first, ahead of the 1972 US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited edition (Toronto; title page also lists Montreal, New York, London), 1971 - Munro's only novel
- Bound in cream/white cloth, spine lettered in green, white endpapers, about 254 pages, issued in a dust jacket
- The first printing is identified by the date and the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, not by an explicit printed 'First Edition' statement; no reliable source confirms an explicit 'First Edition' line, so do not rely on one
- Copies are commonly toned along the top edge
- This Canadian 1971 edition precedes the first US edition (McGraw-Hill, New York, January 1972)
- Publisher imprint reads McGraw-Hill Ryerson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Munro |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill Ryerson |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | Canadian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited edition (Toronto; title page also lists Montreal, New York, London), 1971 - Munro's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited edition (Toronto; title page also lists Montreal, New York, London), 1971 - Munro's only novel. Bound in cream/white cloth, spine lettered in green, white endpapers, about 254 pages, issued in a dust jacket. The first printing is identified by the date and the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, not by an explicit printed 'First Edition' statement; no reliable source confirms an explicit 'First Edition' line, so do not rely on one. Copies are commonly toned along the top edge. This Canadian 1971 edition precedes the first US edition (McGraw-Hill, New York, January 1972).

## Is this the true first?
Munro's only novel; the Canadian McGraw-Hill Ryerson 1971 is the true first, ahead of the 1972 US edition. Scarce in jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note; watch for the later US 1972 printing being offered as a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lives of Girls and Women* by Alice Munro a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lives-of-girls-and-women
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.