The points of issue
Two volumes, title pages dated 1874, in publisher's cloth, in an impression of 1000 copies (first published anonymously as a serial in the Cornhill Magazine through 1874). The London edition appeared in November 1874.
Is this the true first?
The Smith, Elder two-volume edition is the first English book edition, but precedence over the American edition is genuinely contested rather than settled. Henry Holt issued a one-volume American edition essentially simultaneously; Purdy records that the American edition carries advertisements dated 17 November 1874 while the London edition was published about 23 November 1874, so the American issue may actually precede the English. Treat which printing is the true first as unresolved.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
One-volume reprints and the later Osgood/Wessex collected editions are not the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Far from the Madding Crowd a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Two volumes, title pages dated 1874, in publisher's cloth, in an impression of 1000 copies (first published anonymously as a serial in the Cornhill Magazine through 1874). The London edition appeared in November 1874.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Smith, Elder two-volume edition is the first English book edition, but precedence over the American edition is genuinely contested rather than settled. Henry Holt issued a one-volume American edition essentially simultaneously; Purdy records that the American edition carries advertisements dated
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
One-volume reprints and the later Osgood/Wessex collected editions are not the first.
I have a first edition of Far from the Madding Crowd — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.