# Is "Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour" by Robert Smith Surtees a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour by Robert Smith Surtees (Bradbury and Evans, 1853) is identified by: First edition in book form, published by Bradbury and Evans in 1853, following prior issue in thirteen numbered parts delivered as twelve monthly installments (parts 7 and 8 combined) from January to December 1852. The original thirteen-number parts issue (delivered in twelve monthly installments, January-December 1852) preceded the single-volume 1853 book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in book form, published by Bradbury and Evans in 1853, following prior issue in thirteen numbered parts delivered as twelve monthly installments (parts 7 and 8 combined) from January to December 1852
- First-state points include the dedication reading 'Lord Elcho' (corrected to 'Earl Elcho' in the later state), a woodcut appearing on page 230 in the corrected state versus page 229 in the earlier state, and advertisements printed in red ink in the earliest state
- Illustrated with thirteen hand-colored steel-engraved plates and numerous wood engravings by John Leech; original binding is brown cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine and front board
- Publisher imprint reads Bradbury and Evans
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Smith Surtees |
| Publisher | Bradbury and Evans |
| Year | 1853 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in book form, published by Bradbury and Evans in 1853, following prior issue in thirteen numbered parts delivered as twelve… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in book form, published by Bradbury and Evans in 1853, following prior issue in thirteen numbered parts delivered as twelve monthly installments (parts 7 and 8 combined) from January to December 1852. First-state points include the dedication reading 'Lord Elcho' (corrected to 'Earl Elcho' in the later state), a woodcut appearing on page 230 in the corrected state versus page 229 in the earlier state, and advertisements printed in red ink in the earliest state. Illustrated with thirteen hand-colored steel-engraved plates and numerous wood engravings by John Leech; original binding is brown cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine and front board.

## Is this the true first?
The original thirteen-number parts issue (delivered in twelve monthly installments, January-December 1852) preceded the single-volume 1853 book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Bradbury and Evans continued under that name through the 1850s; the printing partnership was not renamed Bradbury, Agnew & Co. until 1872. Later printings bearing that successor imprint, rather than 'Bradbury and Evans,' therefore postdate the 1853 first by at least two decades.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour* by Robert Smith Surtees a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mr-sponges-sporting-tour
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.