# Is "The Heir of Redclyffe" by Charlotte M. Yonge a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte M. Yonge (John W. Parker and Son, 1853) is identified by: First edition, two volumes, small octavo, collating [4],456,8(ads); [4],413,[1],[1,ads]pp.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, two volumes, small octavo, collating [4],456,8(ads); [4],413,[1],[1,ads]pp
- Bound in original reddish-brown blindstamped cloth with gilt-lettered spine
- Published anonymously: the title page names no author, crediting the novel only to 'the Author of The Two Guardians, Henrietta's Wish, The Kings of England, etc.'
- Charlotte Yonge's own name did not appear on the book's title page
- Scarce in original cloth
- Publisher imprint reads John W. Parker and Son
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charlotte M. Yonge |
| Publisher | John W. Parker and Son |
| Year | 1853 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, two volumes, small octavo, collating [4],456,8(ads); [4],413,[1],[1,ads]pp |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, two volumes, small octavo, collating [4],456,8(ads); [4],413,[1],[1,ads]pp. Bound in original reddish-brown blindstamped cloth with gilt-lettered spine. Published anonymously: the title page names no author, crediting the novel only to 'the Author of The Two Guardians, Henrietta's Wish, The Kings of England, etc.'; Charlotte Yonge's own name did not appear on the book's title page. Scarce in original cloth.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The novel went through five editions within 1853 alone and had reached a twenty-third edition by 1878, so any copy identified on its title page as a later edition, or collating differently from the two-volume Parker first, is not the book described here.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Heir of Redclyffe* by Charlotte M. Yonge a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-heir-of-redclyffe
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.