Is My Esther Waters a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published in March 1894 by the Walter Scott Publishing Co
• (headquartered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with London offices); the novel was refused by Mudie's and W. H. Smith's circulating libraries on moral grounds
• A first-impression copy is bound in green cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and front cover only, with no further cover decoration, and collates [vi], 377, [1 blank], [2 ads for Moore's other books] pp. plus a further 16-page publisher's catalogue at the rear
• A second impression, issued about two months later and recorded in Gilcher's bibliography of Moore (A19), added a small gilt floral spray to the front board and has blue-coated endpapers; that floral, blue-endpapered state should not be mistaken for the true first

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?

No American edition appeared in 1894: Moore's preface recounts that the novel was declined by three American publishers, and the first American edition did not appear until 1899 (Herbert S. Stone & Co., Chicago), by which time Moore had revised the text; no US printing has priority over the 1894 Walter Scott London edition.P-035182

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Moore revised the text repeatedly after 1894, beginning with the 1899 American printing; later reprints follow the revised wording, not the original 1894 Walter Scott text.P-035183

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Esther Waters a first edition?

A first edition of Esther Waters by George Moore (Walter Scott, Ltd.) is identified by: First published in March 1894 by the Walter Scott Publishing Co.

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. No American edition appeared in 1894: Moore's preface recounts that the novel was declined by three American publishers, and the first American edition did not appear until 1899 (Herbert S.

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

Moore revised the text repeatedly after 1894, beginning with the 1899 American printing; later reprints follow the revised wording, not the original 1894 Walter Scott text.

I have a first edition of Esther Waters — 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.