# Is "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Chapman & Hall, 1859) is identified by: Issued in eight monthly parts (in seven, the last a double number) in printed wrappers, June to December 1859, with frontispiece, added engraved title, and plates by Phiz (Hablot K. The original monthly parts in wrappers are the earliest book-form issue; the bound 1859 volume follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in eight monthly parts (in seven, the last a double number) in printed wrappers, June to December 1859, with frontispiece, added engraved title, and plates by Phiz (Hablot K. Browne), concurrent with serialization in All the Year Round
- The bound first volume (Chapman & Hall, 1859) carries the same plates
- Verified textual points in the first printing: page 213 misnumbered '113', and 'affectionately' misprinted as 'affetcionately' at page 134, line 12
- In the parts, the original blue-green wrappers and the called-for advertisements and inserted slips are the collation points
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman & Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Dickens |
| Publisher | Chapman & Hall |
| Year | 1859 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in eight monthly parts (in seven, the last a double number) in printed wrappers, June to December 1859, with frontispiece, added… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Issued in eight monthly parts (in seven, the last a double number) in printed wrappers, June to December 1859, with frontispiece, added engraved title, and plates by Phiz (Hablot K. Browne), concurrent with serialization in All the Year Round. The bound first volume (Chapman & Hall, 1859) carries the same plates. Verified textual points in the first printing: page 213 misnumbered '113', and 'affectionately' misprinted as 'affetcionately' at page 134, line 12. In the parts, the original blue-green wrappers and the called-for advertisements and inserted slips are the collation points.

## Is this the true first?
The original monthly parts in wrappers are the earliest book-form issue; the bound 1859 volume follows. Textual states (the '113' mispagination and the 'affetcionately' misprint) and, for the parts, the wrappers and advertisement inserts are the points.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later single-volume reprints are not the parts issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Tale of Two Cities* by Charles Dickens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-tale-of-two-cities
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.