Is My Copy of Democracy in America (De la démocratie en Amérique) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first (French): Paris, Charles Gosselin, 1835 — Part One in 2 volumes, octavo, collating [4], xxiv, 367 pp. and [4], 459 pp., with half-titles present in both volumes and, critically, one folding hand-coloured lithographic map; a set lacking the map is defective
• Part Two followed from Gosselin in April 1840 in 2 further volumes (volumes 3 and 4 of the complete work)
• Bibliographic references: Howes T-278/279
• Sabin 96060-61
• Clark III:111
• Clouzot 264

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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 Gosselin French text is the true first and the original-language edition. Three editions are separately collected: the 1835/1840 Gosselin French original; the Reeve translation from Saunders and Otley, London (1835/1840), which is the first edition in English; and the 1838 New York printing, which is the first American edition and adds Spencer's preface and notes — matter not in either European edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The dominant trap is the made-up set rather than a book club. Part One sold so well that Gosselin reissued it repeatedly — it had reached its third edition within the year and its eighth edition by the time Part Two appeared in April 1840. Four-volume sets in uniform contemporary binding that are first edition throughout are consequently rare, and sets are routinely assembled by pairing genuine 1840 Part Two volumes with later-numbered reprints of the 1835 Part One. Check the edition statement on every volume independently, and confirm the folding hand-coloured map is present in the 1835 volume.P-039995

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Democracy in America (De la démocratie en Amérique) a first edition?

A first edition of Democracy in America (De la démocratie en Amérique) by Alexis de Tocqueville (Charles Gosselin) is identified by: True first (French): Paris, Charles Gosselin, 1835 — Part One in 2 volumes, octavo, collating [4], xxiv, 367 pp. and [4], 459 pp., with half-titles present in both volumes and, critically, one folding hand-coloured lithographic map; a set lacking the map is defective.

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 Gosselin French text is the true first and the original-language edition.

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

The dominant trap is the made-up set rather than a book club. Part One sold so well that Gosselin reissued it repeatedly — it had reached its third edition within the year and its eighth edition by the time Part Two appeared in April 1840. Four-volume sets in uniform contemporary binding that are first edition throughout are consequently rare, and sets are routinely assembled by pairing genuine 1840 Part Two volumes with later-numbered reprints of the 1835 Part One.

I have a first edition of Democracy in America (De la démocratie en Amérique) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.