# Is "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) (American Publishing Company, 1876) is identified by: First American edition points (BAL): the half-title, the inserted ads, the 'Tom Sawyer' frontispiece state, and the specific gatherings; first issue has the correct list of illustrations and the 'first state' binding in the period cloth. UK (Chatto & Windus, 1876) actually precedes the US by months; the US American Publishing 1876 is the canonical American first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition points (BAL): the half-title, the inserted ads, the 'Tom Sawyer' frontispiece state, and the specific gatherings; first issue has the correct list of illustrations and the 'first state' binding in the period cloth
- Publisher imprint reads American Publishing Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) |
| Publisher | American Publishing Company |
| Year | 1876 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition points (BAL): the half-title, the inserted ads, the 'Tom Sawyer' frontispiece state, and the specific gatherings… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First American edition points (BAL): the half-title, the inserted ads, the 'Tom Sawyer' frontispiece state, and the specific gatherings; first issue has the correct list of illustrations and the 'first state' binding in the period cloth.

## Is this the true first?
UK (Chatto & Windus, 1876) actually precedes the US by months; the US American Publishing 1876 is the canonical American first. Collectors prize the US first with correct BAL points.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later American Publishing printings and reprints alter the ads/plates; book-club and reprints lack the original cloth and BAL points.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Adventures of Tom Sawyer* by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer
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.