Is My Kenilworth a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition (Todd & Bowden 149Aa), three volumes (320, 339, 348 pages plus 4pp advertisements), issued in Edinburgh on 13 January 1821 and in London a week later on 20 January, in a print run of 10,000 copies
• Original binding is publisher's boards (recorded in both grey and blue-with-drab-spine variants) with a printed paper spine label
• A textual state point distinguishes copies: the true first state reads 'Here' at page 119, line 4 of volume II; a later state within the first edition shows the initial 'H' dropped, reading 'ere' instead

How Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne marked a first edition

• Late 1890s to about 1920 (the modern London Archibald Constable & Co.): firsts typically carry the date on the title page with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings remove the title-page date or add an impressio…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated reprint lines.

Full Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 13 January 1821 precedes the London (Hurst, Robinson) issue of 20 January 1821.P-034631

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A further printing of approximately 2,000 copies followed within about two months of the original 10,000-copy first printing; only that first printing carries the page-119 'Here'/'ere' state distinction described above.P-034632

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Kenilworth a first edition?

A first edition of Kenilworth by Walter Scott (Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne) is identified by: First edition (Todd & Bowden 149Aa), three volumes (320, 339, 348 pages plus 4pp advertisements), issued in Edinburgh on 13 January 1821 and in London a week later on 20 January, in a print run of 10,000 copies.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 13 January 1821 precedes the London (Hurst, Robinson) issue of 20 January 1821.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

A further printing of approximately 2,000 copies followed within about two months of the original 10,000-copy first printing; only that first printing carries the page-119 'Here'/'ere' state distinction described above.

I have a first edition of Kenilworth — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.