# Is "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Chapman and Hall, 1843) is identified by: First edition, first issue (Chapman & Hall, London, 1843): title page printed in red and blue and dated 1843; half-title printed in BLUE (not yellow); the first chapter heading reads 'STAVE I' (later issues read 'STAVE ONE'); four hand-coloured steel-engraved plates plus wood-engravings by John Leech; bound in reddish-brown (terracotta) ribbed cloth with a gilt wreath vignette on the upper cover and gilt spine. The London Chapman & Hall 1843 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first issue (Chapman & Hall, London, 1843): title page printed in red and blue and dated 1843; half-title printed in BLUE (not yellow); the first chapter heading reads 'STAVE I' (later issues read 'STAVE ONE'); four hand-coloured steel-engraved plates plus wood-engravings by John Leech; bound in reddish-brown (terracotta) ribbed cloth with a gilt wreath vignette on the upper cover and gilt spine
- Todd's priority test (the dependable one): the smallest interval between the blind-stamped border and the gilt wreath measures 14–15 mm, and the 'D' of 'Dickens' is unbroken
- Endpapers occur in both green and yellow; because bibliographers disagree on their priority, endpaper colour alone should not be used to determine the first issue
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman and Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Dickens |
| Publisher | Chapman and Hall |
| Year | 1843 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first issue (Chapman & Hall, London, 1843): title page printed in red and blue and dated 1843; half-title printed in BLUE… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first issue (Chapman & Hall, London, 1843): title page printed in red and blue and dated 1843; half-title printed in BLUE (not yellow); the first chapter heading reads 'STAVE I' (later issues read 'STAVE ONE'); four hand-coloured steel-engraved plates plus wood-engravings by John Leech; bound in reddish-brown (terracotta) ribbed cloth with a gilt wreath vignette on the upper cover and gilt spine. Todd's priority test (the dependable one): the smallest interval between the blind-stamped border and the gilt wreath measures 14–15 mm, and the 'D' of 'Dickens' is unbroken. Endpapers occur in both green and yellow; because bibliographers disagree on their priority, endpaper colour alone should not be used to determine the first issue.

## Is this the true first?
The London Chapman & Hall 1843 is the true first. The dependable first-issue tells are Todd's binding points (border-to-wreath 14–15 mm; unbroken 'D' in 'Dickens'), the red-and-blue title page, the blue half-title, and 'STAVE I'. Endpaper colour (green vs yellow) is famously disputed and is not a safe stand-alone point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later issues/editions reset the text, change the chapter heading to 'STAVE ONE', and are found with a red-and-green title page and green half-title; book-club facsimiles are common. A red-and-blue title page with a BLUE half-title, 'STAVE I', and the tight (14–15 mm) wreath spacing is the first-issue combination — not the endpaper colour.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Christmas Carol* by Charles Dickens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-christmas-carol
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.