# Is "McTeague: A Story of San Francisco" by Frank Norris a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of McTeague: A Story of San Francisco by Frank Norris (Doubleday & McClure Co., 1899) is identified by: First issue is identified by the word 'moment' as the final word on page 106; the second issue instead ends that page with 'him.' The first issue is bound in red cloth decorated and lettered in white on the upper cover and spine; octavo, 442 pages plus advertisements. The true first edition is the 1899 Doubleday & McClure Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First issue is identified by the word 'moment' as the final word on page 106; the second issue instead ends that page with 'him.' The first issue is bound in red cloth decorated and lettered in white on the upper cover and spine; octavo, 442 pages plus advertisements
- The novel is considered a landmark of American literary naturalism and was adapted into Erich von Stroheim's celebrated 1924 silent film Greed
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & McClure Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frank Norris |
| Publisher | Doubleday & McClure Co. |
| Year | 1899 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First issue is identified by the word 'moment' as the final word on page 106; the second issue instead ends that page with 'him.' The first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First issue is identified by the word 'moment' as the final word on page 106; the second issue instead ends that page with 'him.' The first issue is bound in red cloth decorated and lettered in white on the upper cover and spine; octavo, 442 pages plus advertisements. The novel is considered a landmark of American literary naturalism and was adapted into Erich von Stroheim's celebrated 1924 silent film Greed.

## Is this the true first?
The true first edition is the 1899 Doubleday & McClure Co. (New York) printing, first issue (page 106 ending in 'moment'). English publisher Grant Richards required Norris to rewrite a chapter 6 passage concerning the heroine's young brother before issuing the British edition, so the unrevised chapter 6 wording is unique to the American printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Grant Richards-mandated revision to the chapter 6 passage became the standard printed text; Norris's original wording was not restored in newly printed editions until 1941.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *McTeague: A Story of San Francisco* by Frank Norris a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mcteague-a-story-of-san-francisco
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.