# Is "The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards" by Washington Irving a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards by Washington Irving (Colburn & Bentley, 1832) 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. 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Colburn & Bentley
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Washington Irving |
| Publisher | Colburn & Bentley |
| Year | 1832 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in 1832 by Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley in London -- title page reading 'By Geoffrey Crayon,' Irving's established pen… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Alhambra: A Series of Tales and Sketches of the Moors and Spaniards* by Washington Irving a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-alhambra-a-series-of-tales-and-sketches-of-the-moors-and
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.