Is My Hedda Gabler a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Title page reads "Hedda Gabler
• A Drama in Four Acts... Translated from the Norwegian by Edmund Gosse," William Heinemann, London, published 20 January 1891 — the first edition in English
• Small quarto, with a photogravure portrait frontispiece of Ibsen; the ordinary issue was bound in illustrated white French-paper-wrapped covers, uncut
• A large-paper issue limited to 100 numbered copies was published simultaneously, adding photomezzotype plates of Elizabeth Robins and Marion Lea in their Vaudeville Theatre roles; a separate ordinary trade edition in cloth, duodecimo, also appeared the same year

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. Verify this is the British true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. 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.
6. 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?

To secure British copyright, Heinemann had already privately printed the Norwegian-language text in London in an edition of only 12 copies on 11 December 1890, technically preceding the January 1891 Gosse translation; that copyright-only Norwegian printing is not what is meant by "the first edition in English." William Archer worked with Gosse on the acting version used for the 20 April 1891 Vaudeville Theatre premiere (Elizabeth Robins and Marion Lea), but the published book translation credits Gosse alone.P-036253

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Hedda Gabler a first edition?

A first edition of Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen (translated by Edmund Gosse) (William Heinemann) is identified by: Title page reads "Hedda Gabler.

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. To secure British copyright, Heinemann had already privately printed the Norwegian-language text in London in an edition of only 12 copies on 11 December 1890, technically preceding the January 1891 Gosse translation; that copyright-only Norwegian printing is not what is meant by "the first edition in English." William Archer worked with Gosse on the acting version used for the 20 April 1891 Vaudeville Theatre premiere (Elizabeth Robins and Marion Le

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

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first; look for a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price.

I have a first edition of Hedda Gabler — 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.