# Is "Pembroke" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pembroke by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (Harper & Brothers, 1894) is identified by: Freeman's second novel, first edition collating (6),330,(2 pages of ads), with fifteen illustrations including a frontispiece.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Freeman's second novel, first edition collating
- ,330,(2 pages of ads), with fifteen illustrations including a frontispiece
- Bound in yellow (or decorative beige) cloth stamped in gold; measures roughly 6 the printed price by 5 by 1 the printed price inches
- Praised on first appearance by contemporaries including Kate Chopin, who called it 'the most profound, the most powerful piece of fiction of its kind that has ever come to the American press.'
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary E. Wilkins Freeman |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1894 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Freeman's second novel, first edition collating |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Freeman's second novel, first edition collating (6),330,(2 pages of ads), with fifteen illustrations including a frontispiece. Bound in yellow (or decorative beige) cloth stamped in gold; measures roughly 6 the printed price by 5 by 1 the printed price inches. Praised on first appearance by contemporaries including Kate Chopin, who called it 'the most profound, the most powerful piece of fiction of its kind that has ever come to the American press.'

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pembroke* by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pembroke
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.