Is My The Antiquary a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Waverley and Guy Mannering') and issued in Edinburgh on 4 May 1816, with the London issue following on 8 May
• Pagination runs to viii + 336, 348, and 372 pages across the three volumes, and each volume carries its own original half-title as issued
• The 6,000-copy first edition reportedly sold out within three weeks, and the novel was said to be Scott's own favorite among his novels; the resulting second edition did not appear until roughly three months after publication, so only sheets from this initial May 1816 setting represent the true first edition
• Worthington's bibliography further records that pages 27 to 30 of volume one (the leaves signed b2 and b3) are a cancel present in every first-edition copy examined

How Archibald Constable and Co. marked a first edition

• Late 1890s to about 1920 (the modern London Archibald Constable & Co.): firsts typically carry the date on the title page with no later-printing notice; subsequent printings remove the title-page date or add an impressio…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated reprint lines.

Full Archibald Constable and Co. first-edition guide →

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 Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 4 May 1816 precedes the London (Longman) issue of 8 May 1816.P-034773

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A revised second edition followed roughly three months after the first and is not the true first edition; because both appeared within the same year, buyers should confirm the recorded collation and the volume-one cancel leaf described above rather than relying on the title-page date alone to establish precedence.P-034774

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Antiquary a first edition?

A first edition of The Antiquary by Walter Scott (Archibald Constable and Co.) is identified by: First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Waverley and Guy Mannering') and issued in Edinburgh on 4 May 1816, with the London issue following on 8 May.

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 Edinburgh (Constable) issue of 4 May 1816 precedes the London (Longman) issue of 8 May 1816.

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

A revised second edition followed roughly three months after the first and is not the true first edition; because both appeared within the same year, buyers should confirm the recorded collation and the volume-one cancel leaf described above rather than relying on the title-page date alone to establish precedence.

I have a first edition of The Antiquary — 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.