# Is "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1891) is identified by: First edition in three volumes (three-decker), with the half-titles and the correct first-issue text including the 'Chapter XXV' / 'Saturday Review' points; the 'ramble' and the first-state readings (e.g., the corrected text in later issues). UK Osgood McIlvaine 1891 three-volume is the true first; the one-volume 1892 is a later edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in three volumes (three-decker), with the half-titles and the correct first-issue text including the 'Chapter XXV' / 'Saturday Review' points; the 'ramble' and the first-state readings (e.g., the corrected text in later issues)
- Original cloth in three volumes
- Publisher imprint reads James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Hardy |
| Publisher | James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. |
| Year | 1891 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in three volumes (three-decker), with the half-titles and the correct first-issue text including the 'Chapter XXV' /… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in three volumes (three-decker), with the half-titles and the correct first-issue text including the 'Chapter XXV' / 'Saturday Review' points; the 'ramble' and the first-state readings (e.g., the corrected text in later issues). Original cloth in three volumes.

## Is this the true first?
UK Osgood McIlvaine 1891 three-volume is the true first; the one-volume 1892 is a later edition. Complete three-decker in original cloth is the landmark.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The one-volume editions and later reissues are not the first; any single-volume copy is later.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tess of the d'Urbervilles* by Thomas Hardy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tess-of-the-durbervilles
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.