# Is "Studies in the History of the Renaissance" by Walter Pater a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Studies in the History of the Renaissance by Walter Pater (Macmillan and Co., 1873) 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. 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan and Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Pater |
| Publisher | Macmillan and Co. |
| Year | 1873 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, London: Macmillan and Co., published February 1873 in a print run of 1,250 copies, collating xiv,[2],213,[1] (colophon),[2]… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Studies in the History of the Renaissance* by Walter Pater a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/studies-in-the-history-of-the-renaissance
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.