# Is "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York)" by Stephen Crane (as 'Johnston Smith') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York) by Stephen Crane (as 'Johnston Smith') (Self-published, 1893) is identified by: Crane's first book, privately printed at his own expense in 1893 under the pseudonym 'Johnston Smith,' in an edition of about 1,100 copies, most of which Crane destroyed when they failed to sell. US true first, 1893, self-published as by 'Johnston Smith.' The 1896 D.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Crane's first book, privately printed at his own expense in 1893 under the pseudonym 'Johnston Smith,' in an edition of about 1,100 copies, most of which Crane destroyed when they failed to sell
- Original mustard/pale-yellow printed wrappers (extremely fragile and rare)
- Two title-page states are recorded in BAL:
- title in upper- and lower-case lettering, and
- title in all capitals
- Unexpurgated text
- Publisher imprint reads Self-published

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Crane (as 'Johnston Smith') |
| Publisher | Self-published |
| Year | 1893 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Crane's first book, privately printed at his own expense in 1893 under the pseudonym 'Johnston Smith,' in an edition of about 1,100 copies… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Crane's first book, privately printed at his own expense in 1893 under the pseudonym 'Johnston Smith,' in an edition of about 1,100 copies, most of which Crane destroyed when they failed to sell. Original mustard/pale-yellow printed wrappers (extremely fragile and rare). Two title-page states are recorded in BAL: (1) title in upper- and lower-case lettering, and (2) title in all capitals. Unexpurgated text. Fewer than about forty copies are now recorded.

## Is this the true first?
US true first, 1893, self-published as by 'Johnston Smith.' The 1896 D. Appleton edition, issued under Crane's own name, is heavily bowdlerized and is a distinct, far more common later edition, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1896 Appleton 'Maggie' (Crane's name, expurgated) is the common reprint mistaken for the first; the genuine first is the 1893 yellow-wrappered 'Johnston Smith' issue with the original unexpurgated text.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York)* by Stephen Crane (as 'Johnston Smith') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/maggie-a-girl-of-the-streets-a-story-of-new-york
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.