# Is "News from Nowhere" by William Morris a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of News from Nowhere by William Morris (Reeves & Turner, 1891) is identified by: First English trade edition, the text revised by Morris himself from its 1890 serialization in the Commonweal, published by Reeves & Turner in 1891 (with further printings from the same setting in April 1891, June 1891, and March 1892).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English trade edition, the text revised by Morris himself from its 1890 serialization in the Commonweal, published by Reeves & Turner in 1891 (with further printings from the same setting in April 1891, June 1891, and March 1892)
- A large-paper edition limited to 250 copies, bound in publisher's parchment-style spine over matte blue boards with a printed spine label, was issued alongside the ordinary trade issue, which appeared in dark blue cloth, gilt-lettered on front and spine, with untrimmed edges and coated yellow endpapers
- The Commonweal serial text and the revised Reeves & Turner book text differ in wording, so the book publication is treated as its own first edition rather than a mere reprint of the periodical version
- Publisher imprint reads Reeves & Turner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Morris |
| Publisher | Reeves & Turner |
| Year | 1891 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English trade edition, the text revised by Morris himself from its 1890 serialization in the Commonweal, published by Reeves & Turner… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English trade edition, the text revised by Morris himself from its 1890 serialization in the Commonweal, published by Reeves & Turner in 1891 (with further printings from the same setting in April 1891, June 1891, and March 1892). A large-paper edition limited to 250 copies, bound in publisher's parchment-style spine over matte blue boards with a printed spine label, was issued alongside the ordinary trade issue, which appeared in dark blue cloth, gilt-lettered on front and spine, with untrimmed edges and coated yellow endpapers. The Commonweal serial text and the revised Reeves & Turner book text differ in wording, so the book publication is treated as its own first edition rather than a mere reprint of the periodical version.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Morris's own Kelmscott Press issued a deluxe edition dated 1892 (300 copies on paper, 10 on vellum), reset from the corrected Reeves & Turner text with a woodcut frontispiece of Kelmscott Manor by Charles Gere and decorated initials; the Kelmscott printing is a distinct later deluxe edition, not the first trade edition, and should not be confused with it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *News from Nowhere* by William Morris a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/news-from-nowhere
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.