# Is "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (McClelland & Stewart, 2003) is identified by: Identify the Canadian first printing by the number line, not by printed words. Canadian M&S edition is the true first, preceding the US Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Identify the Canadian first printing by the number line, not by printed words
- McClelland & Stewart, Toronto, 2003 (ISBN 0771008686 / 9780771008689), grey boards with gilt spine lettering, around 378 pages
- The first printing carries a complete number line beginning with 1 (dealers cite the full line 1 2 3 4 5, that is, including the 1)
- The first-state dust jacket is unclipped with the price on the front flap
- Do not rely on a stated First Edition line: M&S hardcovers of this era are generally identified by the number line rather than printed words
- Publisher imprint reads McClelland & Stewart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Margaret Atwood |
| Publisher | McClelland & Stewart |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | Canadian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Identify the Canadian first printing by the number line, not by printed words |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Identify the Canadian first printing by the number line, not by printed words. McClelland & Stewart, Toronto, 2003 (ISBN 0771008686 / 9780771008689), grey boards with gilt spine lettering, around 378 pages. The first printing carries a complete number line beginning with 1 (dealers cite the full line 1 2 3 4 5, that is, including the 1). The first-state dust jacket is unclipped with the price on the front flap. Do not rely on a stated First Edition line: M&S hardcovers of this era are generally identified by the number line rather than printed words.

## Is this the true first?
Canadian M&S edition is the true first, preceding the US Nan A. Talese/Doubleday and UK Bloomsbury editions (both 2003). First book of the MaddAddam trilogy; shortlisted for the 2003 Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club issue; the collectible distinction is national precedence over the US and UK printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Oryx and Crake* by Margaret Atwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/oryx-and-crake
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.