# Is "The Great God Pan" by Arthur Machen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen (John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1894) is identified by: Issued by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1894 (paired with the shorter story 'The Inmost Light') as part of the Keynotes Series, collating [6],168,[8] pages plus a 16-page publisher's catalogue dated 1895 bound in at the rear and headed by Francis Adams's 'Essays in Modernity.' The title page is printed in red and black with an illustration of Pan by Aubrey Beardsley, and the binding is dyed 'Crown Sovereign' cloth stamped with further Beardsley designs on the front and rear covers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1894 (paired with the shorter story 'The Inmost Light') as part of the Keynotes Series, collating [6],168,[8] pages plus a 16-page publisher's catalogue dated 1895 bound in at the rear and headed by Francis Adams's 'Essays in Modernity.' The title page is printed in red and black with an illustration of Pan by Aubrey Beardsley, and the binding is dyed 'Crown Sovereign' cloth stamped with further Beardsley designs on the front and rear covers
- The 1895-dated catalogue at the rear is a specific point distinguishing the first issue from later Bodley Head printings
- Publisher imprint reads John Lane, The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Machen |
| Publisher | John Lane, The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1894 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1894 (paired with the shorter story 'The Inmost Light') as part of the Keynotes Series, collating… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Issued by John Lane at The Bodley Head in 1894 (paired with the shorter story 'The Inmost Light') as part of the Keynotes Series, collating [6],168,[8] pages plus a 16-page publisher's catalogue dated 1895 bound in at the rear and headed by Francis Adams's 'Essays in Modernity.' The title page is printed in red and black with an illustration of Pan by Aubrey Beardsley, and the binding is dyed 'Crown Sovereign' cloth stamped with further Beardsley designs on the front and rear covers. The 1895-dated catalogue at the rear is a specific point distinguishing the first issue from later Bodley Head printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Bodley Head reprints and the American Roberts Brothers (Boston) edition drop the Beardsley cloth design and substitute undated or later advertisement leaves.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Great God Pan* by Arthur Machen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-great-god-pan
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.