# Is "The Black Arrow" by Robert Louis Stevenson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (Cassell & Co., 1888) is identified by: First published in book form by Cassell & Co. A Scribner's first American edition was issued the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in book form by Cassell & Co. in 1888 without illustrations (an illustrated edition with plates by H. M. Paget followed only in 1891)
- The first edition, first issue, is octavo, viii + 324 pages, with rear advertisements dated '5 G. 7.88' and '5 B. 7.88' (July 1888)
- The publisher's binding is red cloth, the front cover decorated and lettered in black, the rear cover decorated in black, and the spine decorated in black with gilt lettering
- Publisher imprint reads Cassell & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Publisher | Cassell & Co. |
| Year | 1888 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in book form by Cassell & Co. in 1888 without illustrations (an illustrated edition with plates by H. M. Paget followed… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published in book form by Cassell & Co. in 1888 without illustrations (an illustrated edition with plates by H. M. Paget followed only in 1891). The first edition, first issue, is octavo, viii + 324 pages, with rear advertisements dated '5 G. 7.88' and '5 B. 7.88' (July 1888). The publisher's binding is red cloth, the front cover decorated and lettered in black, the rear cover decorated in black, and the spine decorated in black with gilt lettering.

## Is this the true first?
A Scribner's first American edition was issued the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1891 Cassell illustrated edition with H. M. Paget's plates is a later, separate edition, not the plain 1888 first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Black Arrow* by Robert Louis Stevenson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-black-arrow
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.