# Is "At the Back of the North Wind" by George MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (Strahan & Co., 1871) is identified by: First book publication followed serialization in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young (November 1868-October 1870).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book publication followed serialization in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young (November 1868-October 1870)
- The first edition is octavo, collating viii, 378pp plus 13pp of publisher's catalogue, with 76 wood-engraved illustrations by the Dalziel Brothers after Arthur Hughes worked into the text
- Original cloth is recorded in at least two states: a terracotta cloth bound by Burn & Co. of London, blocked in gilt and black on spine and front cover with all edges gilt, and a pebbled pictorial magenta cloth, gilt; no documented priority has been established between the two bindings
- Publisher imprint reads Strahan & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George MacDonald |
| Publisher | Strahan & Co. |
| Year | 1871 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First book publication followed serialization in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young (November 1868-October 1870) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First book publication followed serialization in the children's magazine Good Words for the Young (November 1868-October 1870). The first edition is octavo, collating viii, 378pp plus 13pp of publisher's catalogue, with 76 wood-engraved illustrations by the Dalziel Brothers after Arthur Hughes worked into the text. Original cloth is recorded in at least two states: a terracotta cloth bound by Burn & Co. of London, blocked in gilt and black on spine and front cover with all edges gilt, and a pebbled pictorial magenta cloth, gilt; no documented priority has been established between the two bindings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *At the Back of the North Wind* by George MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/at-the-back-of-the-north-wind
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.