# Is "Condensed Novels" by Bret Harte a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Condensed Novels by Bret Harte (G. W. Carleton & Co., 1867) is identified by: First edition (BAL 7240), collating x, 307 pages, gathering fifteen literary parodies of authors including Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and Wilkie Collins, plus miscellaneous 'Civic Sketches,' illustrated throughout by Frank Bellew.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition (BAL 7240), collating x, 307 pages, gathering fifteen literary parodies of authors including Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and Wilkie Collins, plus miscellaneous 'Civic Sketches,' illustrated throughout by Frank Bellew
- This G. W. Carleton & Co. printing of 1867 is the true first appearance of the text in book form
- Genuine first-edition copies are recorded bound in more than one contemporary cloth color, so binding color alone should not be relied on to confirm the printing; collation, contents, and the Bellew illustrations are the reliable identifiers
- Publisher imprint reads G. W. Carleton & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bret Harte |
| Publisher | G. W. Carleton & Co. |
| Year | 1867 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition (BAL 7240), collating x, 307 pages, gathering fifteen literary parodies of authors including Charles Dickens, Charlotte… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition (BAL 7240), collating x, 307 pages, gathering fifteen literary parodies of authors including Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and Wilkie Collins, plus miscellaneous 'Civic Sketches,' illustrated throughout by Frank Bellew. This G. W. Carleton & Co. printing of 1867 is the true first appearance of the text in book form. Genuine first-edition copies are recorded bound in more than one contemporary cloth color, so binding color alone should not be relied on to confirm the printing; collation, contents, and the Bellew illustrations are the reliable identifiers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later 'enlarged edition' issued by James R. Osgood & Co. of Boston in 1871 (BAL 7255) is a different, later printing: it drops the original 'Civic Sketches' and other miscellaneous pieces, adds two new parodies ('Handsome is as Handsome Does' and 'Lothaw'), and carries new illustrations by S. Eytinge, Jr. rather than Frank Bellew. It is more commonly found on the market than the scarce 1867 Carleton first edition and should not be mistaken for it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Condensed Novels* by Bret Harte a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/condensed-novels
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.