# Is "Prince Otto" by Robert Louis Stevenson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Prince Otto by Robert Louis Stevenson (Chatto & Windus, 1885) is identified by: First published in one volume by Chatto & Windus on 1 November 1885, shortly after its serialization concluded in Longman's Magazine (April-October 1885). A Roberts Brothers Boston edition followed in 1886; the Chatto & Windus London edition of 1 November 1885 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in one volume by Chatto & Windus on 1 November 1885, shortly after its serialization concluded in Longman's Magazine (April-October 1885)
- The first edition runs viii, 300 pages, with 32 pages of publisher's advertisements ('Chatto & Windus's List of Books') dated April 1885 stitched in at the rear
- The publisher's cloth is green, decorated with a red-brown floral motif stamped on the cover and lettered in gilt on the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1885 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in one volume by Chatto & Windus on 1 November 1885, shortly after its serialization concluded in Longman's Magazine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published in one volume by Chatto & Windus on 1 November 1885, shortly after its serialization concluded in Longman's Magazine (April-October 1885). The first edition runs viii, 300 pages, with 32 pages of publisher's advertisements ('Chatto & Windus's List of Books') dated April 1885 stitched in at the rear. The publisher's cloth is green, decorated with a red-brown floral motif stamped on the cover and lettered in gilt on the spine.

## Is this the true first?
A Roberts Brothers Boston edition followed in 1886; the Chatto & Windus London edition of 1 November 1885 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A second edition followed later in 1885, and the novel was completely re-set for a the printed price edition in 1900; only the original 1885 setting, with its ad leaves dated April 1885, represents the first-edition text as issued.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Prince Otto* by Robert Louis Stevenson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/prince-otto
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.