Is My A Vindication of the Rights of Woman a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, London: printed for J. Johnson, 1792
• Octavo, in one volume
• The defining point is the volume designation: the first edition is styled "VOL. I." and the text ends "End of the first volume" — Wollstonecraft intended a second volume that was never written or printed, so the single volume is complete as issued despite appearing to lack a sequel
• Issued in publisher's plain paper-covered boards with a fragile paper backstrip; unrestored copies in boards commonly lack the backstrip, exposing the original stitching, and copies in contemporary calf are the usual survival
• References: Printing and the Mind of Man 242
• Windle A5a

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Johnson London 1792 printing is the true first; English is the original language and there is no competing prior edition. Johnson issued a revised second edition later in 1792 with Wollstonecraft's own corrections and a revised dedication to Talleyrand but the same pagination as the first — the identical page count makes an unread title page dangerous, so the edition statement on the title must be checked. An American edition also appeared in 1792 and is separately collected, but priority between the two American printings is genuinely contested and is NOT asserted here: the Philadelphia edition printed by William Gibbons, 1792 (collating xvi, [17]-274 pp. plus contents and advertisement leaves) is described by dealers as the first American, while a Boston 1792 edition printed by Peter Edes for Thomas and Andrews was, by the same dealer's own account, advertised for sale before the Philadelphia one; some reference sources instead date the first American book edition to 1794. Buyers should treat "first American edition" claims for 1792 as unresolved pending an Evans/ESTC-level comparison.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club editions exist for a work of this period. The nearest reprint traps are Johnson's own revised second edition of 1792 (same pagination, edition statement on the title), the 1796 Johnson printing (which is why cataloguers sometimes list a copy as "1792 or 1796" when the title leaf is defective), the several 1790s American and Irish printings, and the French translation. Any copy without "VOL. I." on the title and "End of the first volume" at the close of the text should be treated as a later edition until proven otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman a first edition?

A first edition of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (J. Johnson, London) is identified by: First edition, London: printed for J.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The Johnson London 1792 printing is the true first; English is the original language and there is no competing prior edition.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club editions exist for a work of this period. The nearest reprint traps are Johnson's own revised second edition of 1792 (same pagination, edition statement on the title), the 1796 Johnson printing (which is why cataloguers sometimes list a copy as "1792 or 1796" when the title leaf is defective), the several 1790s American and Irish printings, and the French translation. Any copy without "VOL. I." on the title and "End of the first volume" at the close of the text should be treated as

I have a first edition of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.