Is My Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Published under Irving's "Geoffrey Crayon" pseudonym in two volumes, with the American edition (C. S. Van Winkle, New York) issued May 21, 1822 and the English edition (John Murray, London) following two days later, on May 23, 1822
• Because Irving continued revising proofs while the London sheets were in press, the Murray edition is recorded in multiple states: an early state has the printer's imprint misprinted "Davsion" on page [ii] of volume one, corrected to "Davison" in a later state, and volume two's final page count varies, with one recorded state ending at page 404
• These states are cited to Langfeld's Irving bibliography (p
• 24) and to BAL, though BAL itself cautions that all copies issued by Murray under the 1822 date should be treated as of equal priority until further evidence establishes a firm sequence
• Because of that caution, the imprint and page-count differences are useful for identifying a Murray set but should not be read as ranking one state above another

How John Murray marked a first edition

• No formal edition statement on most 19th-century Murray firsts: identify by the title-page date with no 'New Edition' / 'Second Edition' / number-of-thousand line, the correct imprint ('John Murray, Albemarle Street'), a…

Full John Murray first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 New York (Van Winkle) and London (Murray) editions were published two days apart in May 1822 -- essentially simultaneous, which was standard practice for Irving and Murray to establish concurrent claims in both countries; neither edition should be described as simply "ahead of" the other.P-034570

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Putnam's later collected "Works of Washington Irving" and Henry Bohn's Standard/Popular Library reprints of the 1850s reset the text in uniform series bindings under Irving's own name, and do not reproduce the individual 1822 title pages, the "Geoffrey Crayon" attribution, or the Murray imprint states described above.P-034571

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley a first edition?

A first edition of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley by Washington Irving (John Murray) is identified by: Published under Irving's "Geoffrey Crayon" pseudonym in two volumes, with the American edition (C.

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 New York (Van Winkle) and London (Murray) editions were published two days apart in May 1822 -- essentially simultaneous, which was standard practice for Irving and Murray to establish concurrent claims in both countries; neither edition should be described as simply "ahead of" the other.

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

Putnam's later collected "Works of Washington Irving" and Henry Bohn's Standard/Popular Library reprints of the 1850s reset the text in uniform series bindings under Irving's own name, and do not reproduce the individual 1822 title pages, the "Geoffrey Crayon" attribution, or the Murray imprint states described above.

I have a first edition of Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley — 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.