Is My Copy of Moll Flanders (The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition: "The Fortunes and Misfortunes Of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c.," published anonymously, London, "Printed for, and Sold by W. Chetwood, at Cato's-Head, in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden; and T. Edling, at the Prince's-Arms over-against Exerter-Change in the Strand"; octavo; signatures A-2D8 2E4, with the blank leaf A8 almost always discarded in rebinding (ESTC T70314
• Moore 446
• Furbank & Owens 213
• Rothschild 777
• Sabin 19278)
• The decisive point runs opposite to intuition: the first edition's title page is dated 1721, not 1722, and the Roman numeral is itself garbled — set as "MDDCXXI" — while the book was actually published on 27 January 1722; the volumes reading 1722 on the title page are the second and third editions

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. 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.
6. 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 year needs care. The true first is the London edition printed for W. Chetwood and T. Edling with a title page dated 1721, issued 27 January 1722; describing the first simply as "the 1722" inverts the real test, because a 1722 date printed on the title page marks a later edition, not the first. Note also that the imprint spells the second bookseller "T. Edling," whereas the man is recorded as Thomas Edlin. There is no UK/US or original-language precedence issue — Defoe wrote in English and London holds the first. Two further editions followed within 1722, and Dublin and continental reprints follow after; all are later editions at best.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition of the 1721/22 octavo exists. Moll Flanders is among the most heavily reprinted English novels, so donor copies are overwhelmingly modern: Modern Library, Penguin, Oxford World's Classics, Norton Critical (ed. Albert J. Rivero), Broadview, Bantam, Dover, and print-on-demand facsimiles struck from ECCO scans. Twentieth-century illustrated editions and the many collected "Novels of Daniel Defoe" sets are reprints; any copy with an ISBN or barcode is not the first.P-041335

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Moll Flanders (The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders) a first edition?

A first edition of Moll Flanders (The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders) by Daniel Defoe (W. Chetwood and T. Edling, London) is identified by: First edition: "The Fortunes and Misfortunes Of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c.," published anonymously, London, "Printed for, and Sold by W. Chetwood, at Cato's-Head, in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden; and T. Edling, at the Prince's-Arms over-against Exerter-Change in the Strand"; octavo; signatures A-2D8 2E4, with the blank leaf A8 almost always discarded in rebinding (ESTC T70314; Moore 446; Furbank & Owens 213; Rothschild 777; Sabin…

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 year needs care.

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

No book-club edition of the 1721/22 octavo exists. Moll Flanders is among the most heavily reprinted English novels, so donor copies are overwhelmingly modern: Modern Library, Penguin, Oxford World's Classics, Norton Critical (ed. Albert J. Rivero), Broadview, Bantam, Dover, and print-on-demand facsimiles struck from ECCO scans. Twentieth-century illustrated editions and the many collected "Novels of Daniel Defoe" sets are reprints; any copy with an ISBN or barcode is not the first.

I have a first edition of Moll Flanders (The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.