Is My Hauntings: Fantastic Stories a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Published by William Heinemann, London, in 1890, collating [i-vii]viii-xi[xii][1-2]3-237[238] pages plus six pages of publisher's advertisements
• The first edition is bound in original decorated terra-cotta cloth, with the front and rear panels stamped in black and the spine in black and gold, and black-coated endpapers
• It collects four tales of the supernatural: 'Amour Dure,' 'Dionea,' 'Oke of Okehurst; or, The Phantom Lover' (previously issued separately as A Phantom Lover in 1886), and 'A Wicked Voice.' Vernon Lee herself recorded that almost the entire first-edition stock, aside from author's and press copies, was destroyed in a warehouse fire shortly after publication, which accounts for the scarcity of the first issue

How William Heinemann marked a first edition

• 1890-1921: year of publication printed on the TITLE PAGE of first editions; on later printings the title-page date was removed and a notice added to the copyright page (a title-page year is the first-printing tell for th…
• First printing = statement present AND no list of subsequent impressions

Full William Heinemann first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. 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.
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.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1906 John Lane reissue and later twentieth-century reprints use different bindings and story selections and are not to be confused with the 1890 Heinemann terra-cotta-cloth first edition.P-036199

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Hauntings: Fantastic Stories a first edition?

A first edition of Hauntings: Fantastic Stories by Vernon Lee (William Heinemann) is identified by: Published by William Heinemann, London, in 1890, collating [i-vii]viii-xi[xii][1-2]3-237[238] pages plus six pages of publisher's advertisements.

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.

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

The 1906 John Lane reissue and later twentieth-century reprints use different bindings and story selections and are not to be confused with the 1890 Heinemann terra-cotta-cloth first edition.

I have a first edition of Hauntings: Fantastic Stories — 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.