Is My Romola a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition in three volumes, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1863, in original green textured (pebble-grain) cloth, boards paneled in blind with spines gilt-lettered and decorated; pagination iv, 336; iv, 333, [1 imprint]; iv, 292 pp., with half-titles present
• The three-volume first is not illustrated — Frederic Leighton's designs belong to the Cornhill serial, not the book
• Original cloth is very rare (the book is usually met rebound in leather)
• Standard references: Sadleir 817
• Wolff 2061
• Baker & Ross A7.2

How Smith, Elder & Co. marked a first edition

• Original publisher's cloth binding (blind- and gilt-stamped), correct half-titles present, and an uncut or unopened text block support a first-issue state.

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 Smith, Elder three-decker is the true first, following serialization in the Cornhill Magazine (July 1862-August 1863). The English edition precedes the American: Harper & Brothers, New York, issued Romola in 1863 in a one-volume double-column format carrying most of the Leighton illustrations, but it is later than and secondary to the London three-volume edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No prominent single first-state text error is generally cited; identification rests on the 1863 Smith, Elder three-volume collation, green cloth, and the Sadleir/Wolff references. Watch later Smith, Elder one- and two-volume reprintings and the illustrated Cabinet editions, which are not the first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Romola a first edition?

A first edition of Romola by George Eliot (Smith, Elder & Co.) is identified by: First edition in three volumes, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1863, in original green textured (pebble-grain) cloth, boards paneled in blind with spines gilt-lettered and decorated; pagination iv, 336; iv, 333, [1 imprint]; iv, 292 pp., with half-titles present.

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 Smith, Elder three-decker is the true first, following serialization in the Cornhill Magazine (July 1862-August 1863).

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

No prominent single first-state text error is generally cited; identification rests on the 1863 Smith, Elder three-volume collation, green cloth, and the Sadleir/Wolff references. Watch later Smith, Elder one- and two-volume reprintings and the illustrated Cabinet editions, which are not the first.

I have a first edition of Romola — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.