# Is "A Tramp Abroad" by Mark Twain a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain (American Publishing Company, 1880) is identified by: First-edition, first-issue textual points (BAL 3386) include 'fee' for 'feel' on page 37, '2oo' for '200' on page 46, 'spirting' for 'spurting' on page 414, and 'stuck' for 'stick' on page 465.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First-edition, first-issue textual points (BAL 3386) include 'fee' for 'feel' on page 37, '2oo' for '200' on page 46, 'spirting' for 'spurting' on page 414, and 'stuck' for 'stick' on page 465
- The earliest state of the frontispiece is captioned simply 'Moses'; a later first-edition state retains the same textual points but changes the caption to 'Titian's Moses.' The book is illustrated throughout with 328 engravings credited on the title page to W. Fr
- Brown, True Williams, and B. Day, among other artists
- Publisher imprint reads American Publishing Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mark Twain |
| Publisher | American Publishing Company |
| Year | 1880 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First-edition, first-issue textual points (BAL 3386) include 'fee' for 'feel' on page 37, '2oo' for '200' on page 46, 'spirting' for… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First-edition, first-issue textual points (BAL 3386) include 'fee' for 'feel' on page 37, '2oo' for '200' on page 46, 'spirting' for 'spurting' on page 414, and 'stuck' for 'stick' on page 465. The earliest state of the frontispiece is captioned simply 'Moses'; a later first-edition state retains the same textual points but changes the caption to 'Titian's Moses.' The book is illustrated throughout with 328 engravings credited on the title page to W. Fr. Brown, True Williams, and B. Day, among other artists.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Tramp Abroad* by Mark Twain a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-tramp-abroad
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.