# Is "One Way to Spell Man" by Wallace Stegner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of One Way to Spell Man by Wallace Stegner (Doubleday, 1982) is identified by: Doubleday first edition, 1982, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; full title 'One Way to Spell Man: Essays with a Western Bias,' 177 pages, quarter black cloth over gray boards, in dust jacket. True first US edition (essay collection).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first edition, 1982, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; full title 'One Way to Spell Man: Essays with a Western Bias,' 177 pages, quarter black cloth over gray boards, in dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stegner |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday first edition, 1982, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first edition, 1982, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page; full title 'One Way to Spell Man: Essays with a Western Bias,' 177 pages, quarter black cloth over gray boards, in dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition (essay collection).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club title; confirm the Doubleday 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *One Way to Spell Man* by Wallace Stegner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/one-way-to-spell-man
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.