# Is "Adam Bede" by George Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Adam Bede by George Eliot (William Blackwood and Sons, 1859) is identified by: Three volumes (Eliot's first full-length novel), title pages dated 1859, with publisher's advertisements bound at the rear of Volume III. The Blackwood three-volume edition of 1859 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three volumes (Eliot's first full-length novel), title pages dated 1859, with publisher's advertisements bound at the rear of Volume III. Because the book reprinted very rapidly in its first year, the first impression carries no edition statement on the title pages; copies whose title pages read 'Second Edition,' 'Third Edition,' and so on are later impressions of the same year
- Publisher imprint reads William Blackwood and Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Eliot |
| Publisher | William Blackwood and Sons |
| Year | 1859 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Three volumes (Eliot's first full-length novel), title pages dated 1859, with publisher's advertisements bound at the rear of Volume III.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three volumes (Eliot's first full-length novel), title pages dated 1859, with publisher's advertisements bound at the rear of Volume III. Because the book reprinted very rapidly in its first year, the first impression carries no edition statement on the title pages; copies whose title pages read 'Second Edition,' 'Third Edition,' and so on are later impressions of the same year.

## Is this the true first?
The Blackwood three-volume edition of 1859 is the true first. The absence of any 'Second/Third Edition' notice on the title pages is the key check, given the fast reprinting.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Title pages reading 'Second Edition' or later (1859) are subsequent impressions, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Adam Bede* by George Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/adam-bede
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.