# Is "Jack Sheppard: A Romance" by William Harrison Ainsworth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jack Sheppard: A Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth (Richard Bentley, 1839) is identified by: First edition in book form (Sadleir 14, Wolff 53, Cohn 12), three volumes octavo, published October 1839 following prior serialization in Bentley's Miscellany from January 1839. Serialization in Bentley's Miscellany ran January 1839 to February 1840 and was still in progress when Bentley issued the three-volume book edition in October 1839; the book edition was in turn followed by a further 1840 reissue in fifteen weekly numbers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in book form (Sadleir 14, Wolff 53, Cohn 12), three volumes octavo, published October 1839 following prior serialization in Bentley's Miscellany from January 1839
- Pagination runs [i-v]vi[vii]viii[ix-xii][1]2-352; [i-iii]iv[1-3]4-292; [i-v]vi[1]2-312, with a half title present in volume III only (Sadleir calls specifically for the half title in vol
- III and notes its frequent absence)
- The book includes an inserted frontispiece portrait of Ainsworth plus 27 inserted etched plates by George Cruikshank; original binding is decorated grey-green vertically-ribbed cloth, blind-stamped on front and rear panels, gilt- and blind-stamped spine, yellow coated endpapers, edges untrimmed
- Publisher imprint reads Richard Bentley
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Harrison Ainsworth |
| Publisher | Richard Bentley |
| Year | 1839 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in book form (Sadleir 14, Wolff 53, Cohn 12), three volumes octavo, published October 1839 following prior serialization in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition in book form (Sadleir 14, Wolff 53, Cohn 12), three volumes octavo, published October 1839 following prior serialization in Bentley's Miscellany from January 1839. Pagination runs [i-v]vi[vii]viii[ix-xii][1]2-352; [i-iii]iv[1-3]4-292; [i-v]vi[1]2-312, with a half title present in volume III only (Sadleir calls specifically for the half title in vol. III and notes its frequent absence). The book includes an inserted frontispiece portrait of Ainsworth plus 27 inserted etched plates by George Cruikshank; original binding is decorated grey-green vertically-ribbed cloth, blind-stamped on front and rear panels, gilt- and blind-stamped spine, yellow coated endpapers, edges untrimmed.

## Is this the true first?
Serialization in Bentley's Miscellany ran January 1839 to February 1840 and was still in progress when Bentley issued the three-volume book edition in October 1839; the book edition was in turn followed by a further 1840 reissue in fifteen weekly numbers.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jack Sheppard: A Romance* by William Harrison Ainsworth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jack-sheppard-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.