# Is "The Damnation of Theron Ware" by Harold Frederic a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic (Stone & Kimball, 1896) is identified by: First edition, octavo, 512 pages, printed at the University Press, Cambridge. The novel was also published in England the same year under the title Illumination (William Heinemann, London); the chronological relationship between the English and American editions is not clearly established in accessible sources, so no priority claim is made here.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, octavo, 512 pages, printed at the University Press, Cambridge
- Bound in dark green cloth with gilt titling and decoration on the spine and boards, the Stone & Kimball monogram stamped in gilt on both upper and lower boards, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed
- The book went through rapid successive printings labeled 'second edition' (June 1896), 'third edition' (September 1896), and further states through a 'sixth edition' (December 1896)
- The true first and second states are textually identical except for the copyright-page wording, so the printing statement on the copyright page (absence of any 'edition' notice) is the operative first-edition point
- Publisher imprint reads Stone & Kimball
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harold Frederic |
| Publisher | Stone & Kimball |
| Year | 1896 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, octavo, 512 pages, printed at the University Press, Cambridge |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, octavo, 512 pages, printed at the University Press, Cambridge. Bound in dark green cloth with gilt titling and decoration on the spine and boards, the Stone & Kimball monogram stamped in gilt on both upper and lower boards, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. The book went through rapid successive printings labeled 'second edition' (June 1896), 'third edition' (September 1896), and further states through a 'sixth edition' (December 1896). The true first and second states are textually identical except for the copyright-page wording, so the printing statement on the copyright page (absence of any 'edition' notice) is the operative first-edition point.

## Is this the true first?
The novel was also published in England the same year under the title Illumination (William Heinemann, London); the chronological relationship between the English and American editions is not clearly established in accessible sources, so no priority claim is made here.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Copies stating 'Second Edition' through 'Sixth Edition' on the copyright page are later 1896 printings, not the first edition, even though textually near-identical to it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Damnation of Theron Ware* by Harold Frederic a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-damnation-of-theron-ware
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.