# Is "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (Cassell & Company, 1886) is identified by: First book edition, London 1886. The Cassell London 1886 edition is the true first; the US Scribner edition is secondary.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book edition, London 1886
- The first-issue points are textual: page 40 line 11 reads 'business'; page 64 line 1 reads 'nine o'clock'; page 101 lines 9-10 read 'Long Islands' (these readings were altered in later printings)
- The folding map of David Balfour's wanderings is present as a frontispiece and the half-title is present; green cloth gilt
- Rear publisher's advertisements bear date codes (such as 5G.4.86 and 5B.4.86) consistent with early 1886 issue
- Publisher imprint reads Cassell & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Publisher | Cassell & Company |
| Year | 1886 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First book edition, London 1886 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First book edition, London 1886. The first-issue points are textual: page 40 line 11 reads 'business'; page 64 line 1 reads 'nine o'clock'; page 101 lines 9-10 read 'Long Islands' (these readings were altered in later printings). The folding map of David Balfour's wanderings is present as a frontispiece and the half-title is present; green cloth gilt. Rear publisher's advertisements bear date codes (such as 5G.4.86 and 5B.4.86) consistent with early 1886 issue.

## Is this the true first?
The Cassell London 1886 edition is the true first; the US Scribner edition is secondary. The folding map is part of the book in all copies and is not itself a first-issue point — the textual readings on pages 40, 64, and 101 are the decisive points.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings correct the page 40, 64, and 101 readings and carry differently dated rear advertisements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kidnapped* by Robert Louis Stevenson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kidnapped
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.