# Is "Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys; Being a Second Wonder-Book" by Nathaniel Hawthorne a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys; Being a Second Wonder-Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1853) is identified by: First American edition, first printing, published by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, Boston, 1853, the month following the English (Chapman & Hall) edition -- publication was deliberately delayed so the English house could issue first for copyright reasons. The English Chapman & Hall edition was deliberately published first (for copyright purposes), with the American Ticknor, Reed, and Fields edition following about a month later even though both are dated 1853.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, first printing, published by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, Boston, 1853, the month following the English (Chapman & Hall) edition -- publication was deliberately delayed so the English house could issue first for copyright reasons
- Two distinct 1853-dated print runs exist: roughly 3,000 copies printed by mid-August but withheld from sale until September 20, and a further 800 copies printed September 16, before any copies had reached the public
- First-printing points include 'Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry' on the copyright page, an entry for this title in the rear advertisement list of Hawthorne's works that carries no amount beside it (later states add one), and publisher's ads dated 'August, 1853' describing the title as 'just out.' The second printing adds George C. Rand's imprint to the copyright page, which is absent from the first
- Bound in publisher's purple-brown cloth, covers ruled and blind-stamped, spine gilt-lettered, with an eight-page publisher's catalogue inserted at front
- Publisher imprint reads Ticknor, Reed, and Fields
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nathaniel Hawthorne |
| Publisher | Ticknor, Reed, and Fields |
| Year | 1853 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, first printing, published by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, Boston, 1853, the month following the English (Chapman &… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First American edition, first printing, published by Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, Boston, 1853, the month following the English (Chapman & Hall) edition -- publication was deliberately delayed so the English house could issue first for copyright reasons. Two distinct 1853-dated print runs exist: roughly 3,000 copies printed by mid-August but withheld from sale until September 20, and a further 800 copies printed September 16, before any copies had reached the public. First-printing points include 'Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry' on the copyright page, an entry for this title in the rear advertisement list of Hawthorne's works that carries no amount beside it (later states add one), and publisher's ads dated 'August, 1853' describing the title as 'just out.' The second printing adds George C. Rand's imprint to the copyright page, which is absent from the first. Bound in publisher's purple-brown cloth, covers ruled and blind-stamped, spine gilt-lettered, with an eight-page publisher's catalogue inserted at front.

## Is this the true first?
The English Chapman & Hall edition was deliberately published first (for copyright purposes), with the American Ticknor, Reed, and Fields edition following about a month later even though both are dated 1853.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Ticknor and Fields (and successor) reprints combine this text with A Wonder-Book under a single cover or reset it with different illustrations; these lack the specific 1853 ad-catalogue dating and copyright-page imprint states described above.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tanglewood Tales, for Girls and Boys; Being a Second Wonder-Book* by Nathaniel Hawthorne a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tanglewood-tales-for-girls-and-boys-being-a-second-wonder-bo
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.