Is My Copy of Robert Elsmere a First Edition?

The points of issue

First edition, in the standard Victorian three-volume ("three-decker") format, octavo, collating approximately (xii)+370-371, (vi)+374 plus advertisement leaves, (viii)+411 pp. Bound in blue cloth with gilt-titled spines and black-stamped titles on the front boards; floral-patterned endpapers in volumes I and II, with a distinct chocolate-brown endpaper in volume III. The three-volume format was a period convention driven by the circulating-library trade and had largely disappeared by the mid-1890s.

How Smith, Elder & Co. marked a first edition

• No explicit edition statement in the Victorian era: first printings are identified by the date on the title page and by the ABSENCE of any 'second edition' / 'new edition' wording on the title page or half-title.
• Publisher's catalogue or advertisements bound in (usually at the rear, sometimes the front): on a true first the inserted ads are dated at or before the title-page year; later catalogue dates indicate a later printing…

Full Smith, Elder & Co. first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The three-volume Smith, Elder London edition of April 1888 is the true first edition; Macmillan & Co. issued the first American edition the same year. The novel's popularity was such that some 19 further editions and formats (both three-decker and single-volume) had appeared before the end of 1888.P-036333

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The many single-volume editions that followed within 1888 and afterward are later, cheaper resettings aimed at a wider readership, not the three-decker true first.P-036334

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Robert Elsmere a first edition?

A first edition of Robert Elsmere by Mrs. Humphry Ward (Mary Augusta Ward) (Smith, Elder & Co.) is identified by: First edition, in the standard Victorian three-volume ("three-decker") format, octavo, collating approximately (xii)+370-371, (vi)+374 plus advertisement leaves, (viii)+411 pp. Bound in blue cloth with gilt-titled spines and black-stamped titles on the front boards; floral-patterned endpapers in volumes I and II, with a distinct chocolate-brown endpaper in volume III.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The three-volume Smith, Elder London edition of April 1888 is the true first edition; Macmillan & Co. issued the first American edition the same year.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The many single-volume editions that followed within 1888 and afterward are later, cheaper resettings aimed at a wider readership, not the three-decker true first.

I have a first edition of Robert Elsmere — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.