Is My The Conduct of Life a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, published 12 December 1860 simultaneously with a London edition from Smith, Elder and Co
• Collates [i]-x, [1]-288, [1]-16pp, the sixteen unnumbered pages being a publisher's catalogue of Ticknor and Fields titles dated December 1860, 12mo, bound in brown cloth in the "Emerson's Writings" spine-lettered binding style
• BAL records three variant states (A-C) among first-printing copies, distinguished by binding and advertisement-leaf details rather than by a separate typesetting, and treats all three as the same first edition; demand was strong enough that Ticknor and Fields announced a third edition within a week of publication
• Standard reference: BAL 5231

How Ticknor and Fields marked a first edition

• No formal first-edition statement existed; rely on date agreement: the year on the title page should match the copyright date with no later printing noted.
• First printings carry a dated title page and frequently a publisher's catalogue/advertisement section at the rear; rear-ad dates can help establish printing priority.

Full Ticknor and Fields 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. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. 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.
6. 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?

Published simultaneously in Boston (Ticknor and Fields) and London (Smith, Elder and Co.) on 12 December 1860; the Boston printing carries the established bibliographical points recorded here and is the edition sought as the American first.P-035742

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Houghton, Mifflin's later Riverside and Complete Works printings of The Conduct of Life reset the type in the uniform collected-works format and do not reproduce the 1860 Ticknor and Fields binding states or terminal catalogue.P-035743

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Conduct of Life a first edition?

A first edition of The Conduct of Life by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Ticknor and Fields) is identified by: First edition, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, published 12 December 1860 simultaneously with a London edition from Smith, Elder and Co.

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. Published simultaneously in Boston (Ticknor and Fields) and London (Smith, Elder and Co.) on 12 December 1860; the Boston printing carries the established bibliographical points recorded here and is the edition sought as the American first.

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

Houghton, Mifflin's later Riverside and Complete Works printings of The Conduct of Life reset the type in the uniform collected-works format and do not reproduce the 1860 Ticknor and Fields binding states or terminal catalogue.

I have a first edition of The Conduct of Life — 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.