# Is "Nightmare Abbey" by Thomas Love Peacock a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock (T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1818) is identified by: First edition, published in November 1818 by T.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published in November 1818 by T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy of London, issued as a single-volume satirical novella
- The title page reads 'Nightmare Abbey: By the Author of Headlong Hall,' with no personal author's name and no statement of edition or printing anywhere in genuine first-edition copies
- Peacock published all his early novels this way, crediting them only by back-reference to a previous title rather than to himself directly
- Publisher imprint reads T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Love Peacock |
| Publisher | T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy |
| Year | 1818 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published in November 1818 by T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy of London, issued as a single-volume satirical… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, published in November 1818 by T. Hookham, Jun., and Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy of London, issued as a single-volume satirical novella. The title page reads 'Nightmare Abbey: By the Author of Headlong Hall,' with no personal author's name and no statement of edition or printing anywhere in genuine first-edition copies. Peacock published all his early novels this way, crediting them only by back-reference to a previous title rather than to himself directly.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Peacock lightly revised the text in 1837 for its republication (together with Headlong Hall, Maid Marian, and Crotchet Castle) as volume 57 of Bentley's Standard Novels; the 1837 changes are minor and do not affect the first-edition points above.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nightmare Abbey* by Thomas Love Peacock a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nightmare-abbey
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.