# Is "The First Men in the Moon" by H. G. Wells a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells (Bowen-Merrill Company, 1901) is identified by: The true first is the American Bowen-Merrill edition (Indianapolis, 1901), published in October 1901, illustrated by Emil Hering. REFUTES the census claim.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the American Bowen-Merrill edition (Indianapolis, 1901), published in October 1901, illustrated by Emil Hering
- First-state binding has "Bowen-Merrill" at the foot of the spine panel and on the title page — the firm was renamed Bobbs-Merrill in 1903, so any copy showing "Bobbs-Merrill" is necessarily later
- Bound in decorated/pictorial blue cloth stamped in gilt, with the moon, author and title gilt-stamped on the front and the title blind-stamped to the rear board
- The London George Newnes edition
- , the first British edition and collected in its own right, is octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-vii [viii] [1] 2-342 [343-344: blank], the final leaf blank, with twelve inserted plates by Claude Shepperson, bound in decorated blue cloth with front and spine panels stamped in gold, black coated endpapers
- The two editions carry minor textual differences, so neither supersedes the other textually
- Publisher imprint reads Bowen-Merrill Company

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | H. G. Wells |
| Publisher | Bowen-Merrill Company |
| Year | 1901 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the American Bowen-Merrill edition (Indianapolis, 1901), published in October 1901, illustrated by Emil Hering |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the American Bowen-Merrill edition (Indianapolis, 1901), published in October 1901, illustrated by Emil Hering. First-state binding has "Bowen-Merrill" at the foot of the spine panel and on the title page — the firm was renamed Bobbs-Merrill in 1903, so any copy showing "Bobbs-Merrill" is necessarily later. Bound in decorated/pictorial blue cloth stamped in gilt, with the moon, author and title gilt-stamped on the front and the title blind-stamped to the rear board. The London George Newnes edition (1901), the first British edition and collected in its own right, is octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-vii [viii] [1] 2-342 [343-344: blank], the final leaf blank, with twelve inserted plates by Claude Shepperson, bound in decorated blue cloth with front and spine panels stamped in gold, black coated endpapers. The two editions carry minor textual differences, so neither supersedes the other textually.

## Is this the true first?
REFUTES the census claim. The census states the UK Newnes precedes the US Bowen-Merrill; the precedence runs the other way. Three independent dealer descriptions agree that the Bowen-Merrill (Indianapolis) edition preceded the George Newnes (London) edition by approximately one month, with the American edition appearing in October 1901: John W. Knott, Jr. (ABAA/ILAB), citing Currey p. 518 and Hammond B7; Arundel Books ("one month" before the UK Newnes edition); and Moe's Books ("Published in October, a month before Newnes edition in England"). The Bowen-Merrill is therefore the true first edition in book form — an exception to the usual pattern for Wells, whose scientific romances generally appear first in London. Both editions are collected and both should be named: Bowen-Merrill (Indianapolis) 1901 for precedence, Newnes (London) 1901 as the first British edition and the one carrying the twelve Shepperson plates. The novel was serialized in The Strand (London) and The Cosmopolitan (US) across 1900–1901, so the serial appearance precedes both book editions. Wikipedia records both 1901 editions but establishes no precedence and cites no source for sequence; it is not proof either way.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap issued reprints printed from the original Bowen-Merrill sheets — these carry the G&D imprint at the foot of the spine and on the title page despite retaining the Bowen-Merrill text block, and are the most common trap for the American edition. Any spine or title page reading "Bobbs-Merrill" postdates the firm's 1903 renaming and cannot be the first state. No period book-club edition is documented.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The First Men in the Moon* by H. G. Wells a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-first-men-in-the-moon
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.