Is My Studies in the History of the Renaissance a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, London: Macmillan and Co., published February 1873 in a print run of 1,250 copies, collating xiv,[2],213,[1] (colophon),[2] (ads), 8vo, bound in green cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and brown-coated endpapers
• Pater's original, unrevised "Conclusion" appears in this printing
• He withdrew the Conclusion entirely from the second edition of 1877 -- retitled The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry, dropping "History" from the title after critics accused him of an unhistorical approach -- and restored it, in revised form, only in the third edition of 1888
• A genuine first edition therefore carries both the original full title, including "History of the Renaissance," and the unrevised 1873 text of the Conclusion

How Macmillan and Co. marked a first edition

• FIRM SPLIT FIRST — this is the master rule. 'Macmillan' is not one publisher. The London parent was founded in 1843 by Daniel and Alexander Macmillan; George Edward Brett opened the New York office in 1869; in 1896 the f…
• US Macmillan, pre-late-1800s: no printing statement was used. Treat the book as a first only when the date on the TITLE page matches the last (latest) date on the copyright page. A title-page year EARLIER than the latest…

Full Macmillan and 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. 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.
5. 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?

Most of the individual essays first appeared in the Westminster Review and Fortnightly Review between 1867 and 1871 (including the studies of Winckelmann, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Pico della Mirandola, and Michelangelo), and the Conclusion was adapted from an 1868 review of Morris's poetry; despite this prior serial publication of the material, the February 1873 Macmillan volume is the first appearance of the essays collected as a book, with the Preface and several essays published here for the first time.P-035795

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Any copy titled The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry (dropping "History") is the 1877 second edition or later; that 1877 printing also omits the Conclusion entirely, which returned, revised, only in the 1888 third edition.P-035796

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Studies in the History of the Renaissance a first edition?

A first edition of Studies in the History of the Renaissance by Walter Pater (Macmillan and Co.) is identified by: First edition, London: Macmillan and Co., published February 1873 in a print run of 1,250 copies, collating xiv,[2],213,[1] (colophon),[2] (ads), 8vo, bound in green cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and brown-coated endpapers.

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. Most of the individual essays first appeared in the Westminster Review and Fortnightly Review between 1867 and 1871 (including the studies of Winckelmann, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Pico della Mirandola, and Michelangelo), and the Conclusion was adapted from an 1868 review of Morris's poetry; despite this prior serial publication of the material, the February 1873 Macmillan volume is the first appearance of the essays collected as a book, with th

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

Any copy titled The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry (dropping "History") is the 1877 second edition or later; that 1877 printing also omits the Conclusion entirely, which returned, revised, only in the 1888 third edition.

I have a first edition of Studies in the History of the Renaissance — 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.