Is My The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the Action of Worms a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Darwin's last book, published 10 October 1881, collating [ii], viii, 326 pages (the index included within that pagination) plus 2 pages of publisher's advertisements, with 15 text illustrations
• Because of brisk demand Murray printed a 'second thousand' from the same setting of type almost immediately, adding only the words 'Second Thousand' to the title page; the unmarked first-thousand state and the second-thousand state are textually identical and both belong to the same first-edition printing
• Only from the 'fifth thousand' state onward does the title page add '(corrected), and with textual changes,' marking a textually revised later printing; the intervening third thousand instead carries an inserted errata slip, whose corrections are worked directly into the text by the fourth thousand
• Original binding is publisher's green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, boards blind-panelled, with brown-coated endpapers

How John Murray marked a first edition

• No formal edition statement on most 19th-century Murray firsts: identify by the title-page date with no 'New Edition' / 'Second Edition' / number-of-thousand line, the correct imprint ('John Murray, Albemarle Street'), a…

Full John Murray first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Any title page reading 'Fifth Thousand' or higher, or bearing the phrase 'corrected, and with textual changes,' is a revised later printing rather than the original October 1881 text.P-035470

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the Action of Worms a first edition?

A first edition of The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the Action of Worms by Charles Darwin (John Murray) is identified by: Darwin's last book, published 10 October 1881, collating [ii], viii, 326 pages (the index included within that pagination) plus 2 pages of publisher's advertisements, with 15 text illustrations.

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.

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

Any title page reading 'Fifth Thousand' or higher, or bearing the phrase 'corrected, and with textual changes,' is a revised later printing rather than the original October 1881 text.

I have a first edition of The Formation of Vegetable Mould, through the Action of Worms — 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.