# Is "Kenilworth" by Walter Scott a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kenilworth by Walter Scott (Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne, 1821) 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. The Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 13 January 1821 precedes the London (Hurst, Robinson) issue of 20 January 1821.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Scott |
| Publisher | Archibald Constable and Co.; John Ballantyne |
| Year | 1821 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition (Todd & Bowden 149Aa), three volumes (320, 339, 348 pages plus 4pp advertisements), issued in Edinburgh on 13 January 1821… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## Is this the true first?
The Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 13 January 1821 precedes the London (Hurst, Robinson) issue of 20 January 1821.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kenilworth* by Walter Scott a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kenilworth
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.