# Is "The Steam Pig" by James McClure a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Steam Pig by James McClure (Victor Gollancz, 1971) is identified by: UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1971, in red paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, in the typographic Gollancz jacket, around 224 pages. UK Gollancz 1971 is the true first; the US Harper & Row edition of 1971 is a first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1971, in red paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, in the typographic Gollancz jacket, around 224 pages
- The first Kramer and Zondi novel; it won the CWA Gold Dagger for 1971
- The first printing shows the Gollancz imprint dated 1971 with no later-impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James McClure |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1971, in red paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, in the typographic Gollancz… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1971, in red paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, in the typographic Gollancz jacket, around 224 pages. The first Kramer and Zondi novel; it won the CWA Gold Dagger for 1971. The first printing shows the Gollancz imprint dated 1971 with no later-impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
UK Gollancz 1971 is the true first; the US Harper & Row edition of 1971 is a first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Harper US edition and later Penguin and Avon paperbacks are reprints or first-thus issues. Book-club editions lack the Gollancz first-printing imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Steam Pig* by James McClure a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-steam-pig
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.