# Is "Emma" by Jane Austen ('By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice"') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Emma by Jane Austen ('By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice"') (John Murray, 1816) is identified by: Three volumes, title pages dated 1816 (the book went on sale 23 December 1815, hence the common note of late-1815 issue). The UK Murray 1816 three-decker is the true first; the contemporaneous Philadelphia (Carey) 1816 edition is the first American but secondary.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three volumes, title pages dated 1816 (the book went on sale 23 December 1815, hence the common note of late-1815 issue)
- Title pages read 'Emma: A Novel
- In Three Volumes
- By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice," &c. &c.', published by John Murray
- The dedication to the Prince Regent is a required leaf
- The first volume's collation is distinctive: the opening sheet carries only the title page and the dedication, with the half-title printed on what would otherwise be the last blank leaf
- Publisher imprint reads John Murray

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jane Austen ('By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice"') |
| Publisher | John Murray |
| Year | 1816 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Three volumes, title pages dated 1816 (the book went on sale 23 December 1815, hence the common note of late-1815 issue) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three volumes, title pages dated 1816 (the book went on sale 23 December 1815, hence the common note of late-1815 issue). Title pages read 'Emma: A Novel. In Three Volumes. By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice," &c. &c.', published by John Murray. The dedication to the Prince Regent is a required leaf. The first volume's collation is distinctive: the opening sheet carries only the title page and the dedication, with the half-title printed on what would otherwise be the last blank leaf. About 2000 copies were printed at the author's expense.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Murray 1816 three-decker is the true first; the contemporaneous Philadelphia (Carey) 1816 edition is the first American but secondary. The dedication leaf to the Prince Regent is a required point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later one-volume reprints lack the three-decker format and the original Murray imprint and are not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Emma* by Jane Austen ('By the Author of "Pride and Prejudice"') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/emma
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.