# Is "In Darkest Africa" by Henry M. Stanley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Darkest Africa by Henry M. Stanley (Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1890) is identified by: The true first (British) edition is a two-volume thick octavo set collating xv, 529; xi, 472, [2] pages, bound in original red pictorial cloth (the front board decorated with a jungle scene depicting Stanley and a native) with gilt-lettered spines, map endpapers, thirty-eight full-page plates, three folding maps (two in color), and a folding sketch profile. The London Sampson Low octavo edition of 1890 is the true first (trade) edition; Sampson Low and Scribner's each also issued a parallel signed 250-copy large-paper deluxe edition that same year, and the Scribner's American deluxe issue used sheets printed from the same setting as the English edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first (British) edition is a two-volume thick octavo set collating xv, 529; xi, 472, [2] pages, bound in original red pictorial cloth (the front board decorated with a jungle scene depicting Stanley and a native) with gilt-lettered spines, map endpapers, thirty-eight full-page plates, three folding maps (two in color), and a folding sketch profile
- Sampson Low of London and Charles Scribner's Sons of New York each also issued their own signed, large-paper quarto 'edition de luxe' limited to 250 numbered copies and bound in dark brown morocco over vellum, containing six additional full-page etchings signed by the artist that are not present in the ordinary octavo trade edition
- The Scribner's deluxe issue was printed from the same setting of type as the English sheets
- Publisher imprint reads Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Henry M. Stanley |
| Publisher | Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington |
| Year | 1890 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first (British) edition is a two-volume thick octavo set collating xv, 529; xi, 472, [2] pages, bound in original red pictorial… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first (British) edition is a two-volume thick octavo set collating xv, 529; xi, 472, [2] pages, bound in original red pictorial cloth (the front board decorated with a jungle scene depicting Stanley and a native) with gilt-lettered spines, map endpapers, thirty-eight full-page plates, three folding maps (two in color), and a folding sketch profile. Sampson Low of London and Charles Scribner's Sons of New York each also issued their own signed, large-paper quarto 'edition de luxe' limited to 250 numbered copies and bound in dark brown morocco over vellum, containing six additional full-page etchings signed by the artist that are not present in the ordinary octavo trade edition. The Scribner's deluxe issue was printed from the same setting of type as the English sheets.

## Is this the true first?
The London Sampson Low octavo edition of 1890 is the true first (trade) edition; Sampson Low and Scribner's each also issued a parallel signed 250-copy large-paper deluxe edition that same year, and the Scribner's American deluxe issue used sheets printed from the same setting as the English edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Darkest Africa* by Henry M. Stanley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-darkest-africa
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.