Is My The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published in 1832 by Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley in London -- title page reading 'By Geoffrey Crayon,' Irving's established pen name -- and, about three weeks later, by Carey & Lea in Philadelphia, whose title page instead reads 'By the Author of The Sketch Book'; a Galignani reprint titled 'The Alhambra; or, The New Sketch Book' followed in Paris the same year
• The American first edition collates iv, [13]-234, [1]; 236 pages across two 12mo volumes, bound in original brown muslin-backed boards with printed paper spine labels -- the priority binding condition for identification
• BAL assigns 10135 to the London sheets and 10136 to the Carey & Lea sheets, with Wright's American Fiction bibliography (I, 1373) as the companion citation

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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?

The London Colburn & Bentley edition preceded the Philadelphia Carey & Lea edition by about three weeks in 1832, per booksellers' bibliographic notes; the Galignani Paris edition, issued under the variant title The Alhambra; or, The New Sketch Book, is a continental reprint rather than a competing true first.P-034509

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Irving's own revision, published in 1851 by G. P. Putnam as the 'Author's Revised Edition,' kept the original title The Alhambra but reorganized and enlarged the contents to 41 tales, most of them rewritten, rather than abridging them; it is a distinct, later text and should not be confused with the 1832 first edition. The now-common title Tales of the Alhambra belongs to later reprints, not to Irving's own 1832 or 1851 editions.P-034510

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards a first edition?

A first edition of The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards by Washington Irving (Colburn & Bentley) is identified by: First published in 1832 by Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley in London -- title page reading 'By Geoffrey Crayon,' Irving's established pen name -- and, about three weeks later, by Carey & Lea in Philadelphia, whose title page instead reads 'By the Author of The Sketch Book'; a Galignani reprint titled 'The Alhambra; or, The New Sketch Book' followed in Paris the same year.

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. The London Colburn & Bentley edition preceded the Philadelphia Carey & Lea edition by about three weeks in 1832, per booksellers' bibliographic notes; the Galignani Paris edition, issued under the variant title The Alhambra; or, The New Sketch Book, is a continental reprint rather than a competing true first.

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

Irving's own revision, published in 1851 by G. P. Putnam as the 'Author's Revised Edition,' kept the original title The Alhambra but reorganized and enlarged the contents to 41 tales, most of them rewritten, rather than abridging them; it is a distinct, later text and should not be confused with the 1832 first edition. The now-common title Tales of the Alhambra belongs to later reprints, not to Irving's own 1832 or 1851 editions.

I have a first edition of The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards — 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.