How to identify a first printing
- PRIMARY (era-dependent): M&S has no single universal first-printing convention; method depends on the period. For earlier/mid-century Canadian firsts, identify by the ABSENCE of any later-printing/number line on the copyright page, combined with a 'First published [Year]' (or 'First printing [Year]') statement and the M&S imprint. A genuine M&S first frequently has NO number line at all — do not reject it for lacking one.
- Modern titles (roughly 1990s-present): a printer's-key number line IS used; lowest digit indicates the printing, so a line ending in 1 (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5' or '5 4 3 2 1', sometimes with year digits) indicates a first printing. Verified example: Atwood, The Robber Bride (M&S, 1993) carries a full M&S number line.
- Corroborate with the printer's imprint / colophon for early-20th-century titles (e.g. L.M. Montgomery M&S firsts of the 1920s show printer names like Warwick Bros. & Rutter, with Hunter-Rose on later printings).
- CRITICAL caution: a number line ending in 1 does NOT by itself confirm an M&S first, because many of these authors had simultaneous or precedent US/UK editions that also use number lines. Verified counterexample: Atwood, Bodily Harm — the M&S Canadian first (1981) has NO number line and is identified by the absence of a subsequent-printing statement, while the number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' belongs to the US Simon & Schuster edition (1982), NOT the M&S first.
Notable points & cautions
- 'The Canadian Publishers' — M&S published the Canadian firsts of Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Leonard Cohen, Alice Munro, and Mordecai Richler (note: Munro's M&S titles came largely via the Douglas Gibson Books imprint from 1986).
- New Canadian Library (launched 1958, founded by Malcolm Ross) is a quality paperback REPRINT series of Canadian literary works — NOT first editions.
- Many of these Canadian authors also had US and/or UK firsts; verify which national edition has true precedence, since the M&S edition is not always the first printing and the foreign edition may carry the number line.
- Founding note: the firm dates to 1906 but as 'McClelland & Goodchild'; the 'McClelland & Stewart' name dates from 1919, so '1906-present' is only correct for the company lineage, not the M&S imprint name.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: New Canadian Library, Douglas Gibson Books, Tundra Books (children's, associated), Emblem Editions. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my McClelland & Stewart book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. PRIMARY (era-dependent): M&S has no single universal first-printing convention; method depends on the period. For earlier/mid-century Canadian firsts, identify by the ABSENCE of any later-printing/number line on the copyright page, combined with a 'First published [Year]' (or 'First printing [Year]') statement and the M&S imprint. A genuine M&S first frequently has NO number line at all — do not reject it for lacking one. Modern titles (roughly 1990s-present): a printer's-key number line IS used; lowest digit indicates the printing, so a line ending in 1 (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5' or '5 4 3 2 1', sometimes with year digits) indicates a first printing. Verified example: Atwood, The Robber Bride (M&S, 1993) carries a full M&S number line.
Does McClelland & Stewart use a number line?
Modern titles (roughly 1990s-present): a printer's-key number line IS used; lowest digit indicates the printing, so a line ending in 1 (e.g. '1 2 3 4 5' or '5 4 3 2 1', sometimes with year digits) indicates a first printing. Verified example: Atwood, The Robber Bride (M&S, 1993) carries a full M&S number line.
Is a book-club edition a McClelland & Stewart first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. 'The Canadian Publishers' — M&S published the Canadian firsts of Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Leonard Cohen, Alice Munro, and Mordecai Richler (note: Munro's M&S titles came largely via the Douglas Gibson Books imprint from 1986).
What era does this cover?
This covers McClelland & Stewart (1906-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.