# Is "In a Glass Darkly (containing 'Carmilla')" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In a Glass Darkly (containing 'Carmilla') by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (Richard Bentley and Son, 1872) is identified by: First edition in three volumes (three-decker), post octavo, in original cloth, with half-titles as issued. The 1872 three-volume Bentley set is the first book appearance of 'Carmilla,' which had earlier been serialized in The Dark Blue in 1871 and 1872.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in three volumes (three-decker), post octavo, in original cloth, with half-titles as issued
- The story distribution given in the prior draft was wrong: Volume I contains the first three stories, 'Green Tea,' 'The Familiar,' and 'Mr Justice Harbottle.' The long novella 'The Room in the Dragon Volant' and the novella 'Carmilla' occupy the remaining two volumes, with 'Carmilla' appearing in the final volume
- Placing 'Mr Justice Harbottle' in Volume II is incorrect
- Publisher imprint reads Richard Bentley and Son
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu |
| Publisher | Richard Bentley and Son |
| Year | 1872 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in three volumes (three-decker), post octavo, in original cloth, with half-titles as issued |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in three volumes (three-decker), post octavo, in original cloth, with half-titles as issued. The story distribution given in the prior draft was wrong: Volume I contains the first three stories, 'Green Tea,' 'The Familiar,' and 'Mr Justice Harbottle.' The long novella 'The Room in the Dragon Volant' and the novella 'Carmilla' occupy the remaining two volumes, with 'Carmilla' appearing in the final volume. Placing 'Mr Justice Harbottle' in Volume II is incorrect.

## Is this the true first?
The 1872 three-volume Bentley set is the first book appearance of 'Carmilla,' which had earlier been serialized in The Dark Blue in 1871 and 1872. The 1884 single-volume New Edition is a later first thus, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Any one-volume printing, including the 1884 Bentley New Edition, is not the first. Collate for the complete three-volume set with the correct story distribution and matching half-titles; mixed-set rebinds are common, so confirm the volumes belong together.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In a Glass Darkly (containing 'Carmilla')* by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-a-glass-darkly-containing-carmilla
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.