# Is "Little Lord Fauntleroy" by Frances Hodgson Burnett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1886) is identified by: Nicholas Magazine from November 1885 to October 1886 before Scribner's issued the book on 7 October 1886. US precedes UK: the Scribner's New York edition (7 October 1886) preceded the Frederick Warne & Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Nicholas Magazine from November 1885 to October 1886 before Scribner's issued the book on 7 October 1886
- First-issue points recorded at BAL 2064 include a De Vinne Press device on the verso of the final text leaf (page [210]), the signature numerals '12' on page 177 and '14' on page 209, and a 14-page 'Scribner's Books for the Young' catalogue bound in at the rear; a separate early state without the De Vinne device carries 16 pages of ads instead
- The publisher's binding is dark green pictorial cloth stamped in gilt with Fauntleroy and his dog against a russet medallion bordered by small red rampant lions and black crowns, with black-and-white illustrations, including full-page plates, by Reginald B. Birch and an engraved, tissue-guarded frontispiece
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frances Hodgson Burnett |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1886 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Nicholas Magazine from November 1885 to October 1886 before Scribner's issued the book on 7 October 1886 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine from November 1885 to October 1886 before Scribner's issued the book on 7 October 1886. First-issue points recorded at BAL 2064 include a De Vinne Press device on the verso of the final text leaf (page [210]), the signature numerals '12' on page 177 and '14' on page 209, and a 14-page 'Scribner's Books for the Young' catalogue bound in at the rear; a separate early state without the De Vinne device carries 16 pages of ads instead. The publisher's binding is dark green pictorial cloth stamped in gilt with Fauntleroy and his dog against a russet medallion bordered by small red rampant lions and black crowns, with black-and-white illustrations, including full-page plates, by Reginald B. Birch and an engraved, tissue-guarded frontispiece.

## Is this the true first?
US precedes UK: the Scribner's New York edition (7 October 1886) preceded the Frederick Warne & Co. London edition, which followed the same year in November.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Little Lord Fauntleroy* by Frances Hodgson Burnett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/little-lord-fauntleroy
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.