# Is "The Fortunes of Nigel" by Walter Scott a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fortunes of Nigel by Walter Scott (Archibald Constable and Co., 1822) is identified by: First edition (Todd & Bowden 157Aa), three volumes, issued simultaneously in Edinburgh and London on 29 May 1822 in a run of 12,000 copies, published anonymously.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition (Todd & Bowden 157Aa), three volumes, issued simultaneously in Edinburgh and London on 29 May 1822 in a run of 12,000 copies, published anonymously
- Half-titles are present in all volumes; volume I carries a 12-page publisher's catalogue dated May 1822, and volume III has six pages of advertisements at the rear
- A notable and checkable collation quirk: the advertisement leaves at the back of volume III are misbound, with the pagination running 1-2, 5-6, 3-4 rather than in sequence
- Publisher imprint reads Archibald Constable and Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Scott |
| Publisher | Archibald Constable and Co. |
| Year | 1822 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition (Todd & Bowden 157Aa), three volumes, issued simultaneously in Edinburgh and London on 29 May 1822 in a run of 12,000 copies… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition (Todd & Bowden 157Aa), three volumes, issued simultaneously in Edinburgh and London on 29 May 1822 in a run of 12,000 copies, published anonymously. Half-titles are present in all volumes; volume I carries a 12-page publisher's catalogue dated May 1822, and volume III has six pages of advertisements at the rear. A notable and checkable collation quirk: the advertisement leaves at the back of volume III are misbound, with the pagination running 1-2, 5-6, 3-4 rather than in sequence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fortunes of Nigel* by Walter Scott a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fortunes-of-nigel
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.