# Is "Ivanhoe: A Romance" by Walter Scott a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott (Archibald Constable and Co., 1820) is identified by: First edition, three volumes, issued in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 though dated 1820 on the title page, in a print run reported at 10,000-12,000 copies; copies reportedly sold out within about two weeks of publication. Published in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 and in London on 31 December 1819, though the title page is dated 1820.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, three volumes, issued in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 though dated 1820 on the title page, in a print run reported at 10,000-12,000 copies; copies reportedly sold out within about two weeks of publication
- First-issue points recorded for volume I, per Worthington's bibliography and Todd & Bowden (140Aa), include pagination ending at p
- 298 with pp.159-306 misnumbered as 151-298, the word 'Peter' as the first word of page iv line 6, page v line 12 showing 'which' as its third word, and page vi line 14 reading 'you observed'
- Four pages of advertisements appear at the rear of volume I and three pages at the rear of volume III. Ivanhoe was the first Waverley novel set in England rather than Scotland
- Publisher imprint reads Archibald Constable and Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Scott |
| Publisher | Archibald Constable and Co. |
| Year | 1820 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, three volumes, issued in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 though dated 1820 on the title page, in a print run reported at… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, three volumes, issued in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 though dated 1820 on the title page, in a print run reported at 10,000-12,000 copies; copies reportedly sold out within about two weeks of publication. First-issue points recorded for volume I, per Worthington's bibliography and Todd & Bowden (140Aa), include pagination ending at p. 298 with pp.159-306 misnumbered as 151-298, the word 'Peter' as the first word of page iv line 6, page v line 12 showing 'which' as its third word, and page vi line 14 reading 'you observed'. Four pages of advertisements appear at the rear of volume I and three pages at the rear of volume III. Ivanhoe was the first Waverley novel set in England rather than Scotland.

## Is this the true first?
Published in Edinburgh on 18 December 1819 and in London on 31 December 1819, though the title page is dated 1820.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ivanhoe: A Romance* by Walter Scott a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ivanhoe-a-romance
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.