# Is "Many Inventions" by Rudyard Kipling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Many Inventions by Rudyard Kipling (D. Appleton and Company, 1893) is identified by: Appleton and Company of New York published Many Inventions on 31 May 1893, ahead of the Macmillan London edition, which followed later the same year. The Appleton New York edition of 31 May 1893 has bibliographic priority over the Macmillan London edition; American-first or near-simultaneous publication was Kipling's standard practice in this period to secure United States copyright under the 1891 Chace Act.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- D. Appleton and Company of New York published Many Inventions on 31 May 1893, ahead of the Macmillan London edition, which followed later the same year
- Issuing the American edition first was consistent with the 1891 Chace Act, under which foreign authors needed United States manufacture and first or simultaneous American publication to secure United States copyright, a practice Kipling followed closely in this period
- The Macmillan first English edition collates ix + 365 pages, with 6 pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear
- It is bound in pebbled blue cloth with blind- and gilt-stamped vertical borders on the front cover continuing around the spine, and the top edge is left untrimmed
- Publisher imprint reads D. Appleton and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rudyard Kipling |
| Publisher | D. Appleton and Company |
| Year | 1893 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | D. Appleton and Company of New York published Many Inventions on 31 May 1893, ahead of the Macmillan London edition, which followed later… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
D. Appleton and Company of New York published Many Inventions on 31 May 1893, ahead of the Macmillan London edition, which followed later the same year. Issuing the American edition first was consistent with the 1891 Chace Act, under which foreign authors needed United States manufacture and first or simultaneous American publication to secure United States copyright, a practice Kipling followed closely in this period. The Macmillan first English edition collates ix + 365 pages, with 6 pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear. It is bound in pebbled blue cloth with blind- and gilt-stamped vertical borders on the front cover continuing around the spine, and the top edge is left untrimmed.

## Is this the true first?
The Appleton New York edition of 31 May 1893 has bibliographic priority over the Macmillan London edition; American-first or near-simultaneous publication was Kipling's standard practice in this period to secure United States copyright under the 1891 Chace Act.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Many Inventions* by Rudyard Kipling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/many-inventions
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.