# Is "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1886) is identified by: The first English-language edition was published by Thomas Y. First edition in English, preceding the first British edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first English-language edition was published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., New York, in 1886, translated by Nathan Haskell Dole
- First-issue points include sheets bulking to about 35 millimeters, floral-patterned endpapers, the imprint address '13 Astor Place' on the title page, no advertisements at the front of the book, and five pages of advertisements at the rear that do not list any other Russian titles
- Later Crowell printings, expanding the firm's list of Russian authors in translation, add such titles to the rear advertisement pages, making the ad-page contents a reliable point separating first-issue from later-issue sheets
- Publisher imprint reads Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Leo Tolstoy |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. |
| Year | 1886 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first English-language edition was published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., New York, in 1886, translated by Nathan Haskell Dole |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The first English-language edition was published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., New York, in 1886, translated by Nathan Haskell Dole. First-issue points include sheets bulking to about 35 millimeters, floral-patterned endpapers, the imprint address '13 Astor Place' on the title page, no advertisements at the front of the book, and five pages of advertisements at the rear that do not list any other Russian titles. Later Crowell printings, expanding the firm's list of Russian authors in translation, add such titles to the rear advertisement pages, making the ad-page contents a reliable point separating first-issue from later-issue sheets.

## Is this the true first?
First edition in English, preceding the first British edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Crowell printings are textually identical but carry expanded advertisement pages listing additional Russian authors; a copy without the plain, Russian-title-free five-page ad section is a later printing rather than the true first issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Anna Karenina* by Leo Tolstoy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/anna-karenina
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.