# Is "Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War" by Herman Melville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War by Herman Melville (Harper & Brothers, 1866) is identified by: First edition, published August 17, 1866, by Harper & Brothers, New York, collecting 72 Civil War poems along with a prose 'Supplement' setting out Melville's views on Reconstruction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published August 17, 1866, by Harper & Brothers, New York, collecting 72 Civil War poems along with a prose 'Supplement' setting out Melville's views on Reconstruction
- The copyright page of this single 1866 printing carries a small, well-documented typographical slip -- the word 'hundred' is misprinted as 'hnndred' -- present in every genuine copy since only one printing was ever issued; the error is useful for confirming a copy is not a later reset text, not as a point distinguishing separate states within the first printing
- Bound in original green cloth, the publisher's device stamped in blind on both covers, lettering in gilt on the spine
- The book sold poorly on release (only 486 copies by 1868), making surviving first-edition copies scarce despite the modest original print run
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Herman Melville |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1866 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published August 17, 1866, by Harper & Brothers, New York, collecting 72 Civil War poems along with a prose 'Supplement'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, published August 17, 1866, by Harper & Brothers, New York, collecting 72 Civil War poems along with a prose 'Supplement' setting out Melville's views on Reconstruction. The copyright page of this single 1866 printing carries a small, well-documented typographical slip -- the word 'hundred' is misprinted as 'hnndred' -- present in every genuine copy since only one printing was ever issued; the error is useful for confirming a copy is not a later reset text, not as a point distinguishing separate states within the first printing. Bound in original green cloth, the publisher's device stamped in blind on both covers, lettering in gilt on the spine. The book sold poorly on release (only 486 copies by 1868), making surviving first-edition copies scarce despite the modest original print run.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprintings of Melville's poetry (beginning with early-20th-century collected editions after the Melville revival) reset the text entirely and correct the 'hnndred' misprint; any copy without the misprint on the copyright page is not the true first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War* by Herman Melville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/battle-pieces-and-aspects-of-the-war
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.