# Is "History of the Conquest of Peru" by William H. Prescott a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of History of the Conquest of Peru by William H. Prescott (Harper & Brothers, 1847) is identified by: First American edition, New York: Harper & Brothers, June 1847, two octavo volumes collating xl+527pp and xix+547pp; volume one carries an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pizarro and a map of Peru, volume two an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pedro de la Gasca and a facsimile plate of Pizarro's signature. Bentley's London edition appeared in May 1847, roughly a month before Harper's New York edition of June 1847; despite the earlier London date, the Harper printing carrying the established first-issue points (no period after "integrity," vol.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, New York: Harper & Brothers, June 1847, two octavo volumes collating xl+527pp and xix+547pp; volume one carries an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pizarro and a map of Peru, volume two an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pedro de la Gasca and a facsimile plate of Pizarro's signature
- The established first-issue points are the absence of a period after the word "integrity" on page 467, line 20, of volume II, and the absence of a printer's slug on the copyright page of volume I. Richard Bentley published a London edition also dated 1847, about a month ahead of the Harper printing
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William H. Prescott |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1847 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, New York: Harper & Brothers, June 1847, two octavo volumes collating xl+527pp and xix+547pp; volume one carries an… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First American edition, New York: Harper & Brothers, June 1847, two octavo volumes collating xl+527pp and xix+547pp; volume one carries an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pizarro and a map of Peru, volume two an engraved portrait frontispiece of Pedro de la Gasca and a facsimile plate of Pizarro's signature. The established first-issue points are the absence of a period after the word "integrity" on page 467, line 20, of volume II, and the absence of a printer's slug on the copyright page of volume I. Richard Bentley published a London edition also dated 1847, about a month ahead of the Harper printing.

## Is this the true first?
Bentley's London edition appeared in May 1847, roughly a month before Harper's New York edition of June 1847; despite the earlier London date, the Harper printing carrying the established first-issue points (no period after "integrity," vol. II, p. 467; no printer's slug on vol. I copyright page) is the edition identified in standard American references (BAL 16346, Sabin 65272) and the one American dealers and collectors present as the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *History of the Conquest of Peru* by William H. Prescott a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/history-of-the-conquest-of-peru
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.