# Is "Indian Summer" by William Dean Howells a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Indian Summer by William Dean Howells (Ticknor and Company, 1886) is identified by: First edition dated 1885 on the copyright page and 1886 on the title page, with a Ticknor and Company advertisement for other Howells titles facing the title page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition dated 1885 on the copyright page and 1886 on the title page, with a Ticknor and Company advertisement for other Howells titles facing the title page
- Octavo, 395 pages
- Bound in blue cloth-covered boards with blind and black decorative stamping, the author's name in gilt and the title lettered in blue within a gilt box on both the front board and the spine; a variant binding in brown cloth stamped in gold is also recorded without established priority
- Publisher imprint reads Ticknor and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Dean Howells |
| Publisher | Ticknor and Company |
| Year | 1886 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition dated 1885 on the copyright page and 1886 on the title page, with a Ticknor and Company advertisement for other Howells… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition dated 1885 on the copyright page and 1886 on the title page, with a Ticknor and Company advertisement for other Howells titles facing the title page. Octavo, 395 pages. Bound in blue cloth-covered boards with blind and black decorative stamping, the author's name in gilt and the title lettered in blue within a gilt box on both the front board and the spine; a variant binding in brown cloth stamped in gold is also recorded without established priority.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Indian Summer* by William Dean Howells a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/indian-summer
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.