# Is "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson (James Munroe & Co., 1836) is identified by: First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or boards, published 9 September 1836. US true first, 1836, published anonymously.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or boards, published 9 September 1836
- The recognized first-state point is the pagination error: page 94 is misnumbered as page 92 in the earliest state, corrected to 94 in a later state
- The 1836 title page bears no author attribution (some surviving copies have 'By Ralph Waldo Emerson' added later in pencil by another hand)
- BAL notes that some copies have a half title with no priority established
- The motto is the prose quotation attributed to Plotinus
- Publisher imprint reads James Munroe & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Publisher | James Munroe & Co. |
| Year | 1836 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or boards, published 9 September 1836. The recognized first-state point is the pagination error: page 94 is misnumbered as page 92 in the earliest state, corrected to 94 in a later state. The 1836 title page bears no author attribution (some surviving copies have 'By Ralph Waldo Emerson' added later in pencil by another hand). BAL notes that some copies have a half title with no priority established. The motto is the prose quotation attributed to Plotinus.

## Is this the true first?
US true first, 1836, published anonymously. Emerson's foundational essay, first printing about 1,500 copies. The second edition (1849) drops the Plotinus prose motto and substitutes Emerson's own six-line verse beginning 'A subtle chain of countless rings.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1849 and later printings change the epigraph (Plotinus prose replaced by Emerson's own verse) and add author attribution; the genuine first is the anonymous 1836 Munroe issue with the Plotinus motto, ideally in the earliest state with page 94 misnumbered as 92.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nature* by Ralph Waldo Emerson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nature
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.