# Is "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" by M. R. James a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M. R. James (Edward Arnold, 1904) is identified by: Original oatmeal cloth ruled in red and lettered in black, with yapp (overhanging) fore-edges; issued without a dust wrapper. The UK Edward Arnold 1904 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Original oatmeal cloth ruled in red and lettered in black, with yapp (overhanging) fore-edges; issued without a dust wrapper
- Four plates by James McBryde (he died in 1904 having completed only these four drawings, and James declined further illustration)
- A recognized first-impression text point is 'art museum' at page 55
- An inserted 16-page publisher's catalogue dated November 1904 is cited by dealers as a first-issue point
- Publisher imprint reads Edward Arnold
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | M. R. James |
| Publisher | Edward Arnold |
| Year | 1904 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Original oatmeal cloth ruled in red and lettered in black, with yapp (overhanging) fore-edges; issued without a dust wrapper |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Original oatmeal cloth ruled in red and lettered in black, with yapp (overhanging) fore-edges; issued without a dust wrapper. Four plates by James McBryde (he died in 1904 having completed only these four drawings, and James declined further illustration). A recognized first-impression text point is 'art museum' at page 55. An inserted 16-page publisher's catalogue dated November 1904 is cited by dealers as a first-issue point.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Edward Arnold 1904 edition is the true first. The 1905 second impression and later reprints, the US editions, and the 1931 Collected Ghost Stories are separate, later issues.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions and reprints lack the yapp-edge oatmeal cloth and the four McBryde plates; absence of the plates indicates a reprint. Confirm the 'art museum' reading at page 55 and the first-impression binding.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ghost Stories of an Antiquary* by M. R. James a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ghost-stories-of-an-antiquary
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.