# Is "The Making of a Saint" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Making of a Saint by W. Somerset Maugham (L.C. Page, 1898) is identified by: Page (Boston) edition precedes the UK T. US L.C.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US L.C. Page (Boston) edition precedes the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition by roughly a month
- Maugham's second book and a historical novel
- The first issue has two-color (parti-colored) spine lettering; later states show all-black spine lettering
- Publisher imprint reads L.C. Page
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | L.C. Page |
| Year | 1898 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US L.C. Page (Boston) edition precedes the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition by roughly a month |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US L.C. Page (Boston) edition precedes the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition by roughly a month. Maugham's second book and a historical novel. The first issue has two-color (parti-colored) spine lettering; later states show all-black spine lettering.

## Is this the true first?
US L.C. Page is the true first, preceding UK Unwin (1898) by about a month.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Making of a Saint* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-making-of-a-saint
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.