# Is "Shirley" by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') (Smith, Elder & Co., 1849) is identified by: Three volumes, 'A Tale. The London Smith, Elder & Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three volumes, 'A Tale
- By Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1849 (published 26 October 1849)
- The first edition was issued WITHOUT half-titles
- Volume I carries a 16-page advertisement catalogue dated September 1849; volume III ends with a few leaves of notices (including reviews and an advertisement for the third edition of Jane Eyre)
- References: Sadleir 348
- Parrish p
- Publisher imprint reads Smith, Elder & Co.

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') |
| Publisher | Smith, Elder & Co. |
| Year | 1849 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Three volumes, 'A Tale |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three volumes, 'A Tale. By Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1849 (published 26 October 1849). The first edition was issued WITHOUT half-titles. Volume I carries a 16-page advertisement catalogue dated September 1849; volume III ends with a few leaves of notices (including reviews and an advertisement for the third edition of Jane Eyre). References: Sadleir 348; Wise 6; Smith 5; Parrish p. 93. Original cloth.

## Is this the true first?
The London Smith, Elder & Co. 1849 three-decker is the true first edition. The Harper & Brothers New York 1850 first American edition is secondary.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later one-volume reprints are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shirley* by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shirley
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.