# Is "Romola" by George Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Romola by George Eliot (Smith, Elder & Co., 1863) 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. The Smith, Elder three-decker is the true first, following serialization in the Cornhill Magazine (July 1862-August 1863).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Smith, Elder & Co.

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Eliot |
| Publisher | Smith, Elder & Co. |
| Year | 1863 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in three volumes, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1863, in original green textured (pebble-grain) cloth, boards paneled in blind… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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; Parrish; Baker & Ross A7.2.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Romola* by George Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/romola
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.