# Is "The Conduct of Life" by Ralph Waldo Emerson a First Edition?

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

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Ticknor and Fields
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| Publisher | Ticknor and Fields |
| Year | 1860 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, published 12 December 1860 simultaneously with a London edition from Smith, Elder and Co |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Conduct of Life* by Ralph Waldo Emerson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-conduct-of-life
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.