# Is "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Arthur Conan Doyle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (George Newnes, 1902) is identified by: True first is the George Newnes edition, London, 1902 (Green & Gibson A26), following serialization in The Strand Magazine (1901–02). The UK Newnes edition (published 25 March 1902) precedes the first American edition — McClure, Phillips & Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the George Newnes edition, London, 1902 (Green & Gibson A26), following serialization in The Strand Magazine (1901–02)
- Because the single textual point is easy to fake or misquote, corroborate several together:
- the first-issue textual point 'you' for 'your' at page 13, line 3
- the first-issue binding — red cloth, elaborately blocked in gilt, with the black silhouette of the hound to the upper cover (design by Alfred Garth Jones); and
- the 16 full-page plates by Sidney Paget, which are frequently loose or lacking, so confirm all are present
- The publisher's advertisements/catalogue bound at the rear can help date an early issue
- Publisher imprint reads George Newnes

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Publisher | George Newnes |
| Year | 1902 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the George Newnes edition, London, 1902 (Green & Gibson A26), following serialization in The Strand Magazine (1901–02) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the George Newnes edition, London, 1902 (Green & Gibson A26), following serialization in The Strand Magazine (1901–02). Because the single textual point is easy to fake or misquote, corroborate several together: (1) the first-issue textual point 'you' for 'your' at page 13, line 3; (2) the first-issue binding — red cloth, elaborately blocked in gilt, with the black silhouette of the hound to the upper cover (design by Alfred Garth Jones); and (3) the 16 full-page plates by Sidney Paget, which are frequently loose or lacking, so confirm all are present. The publisher's advertisements/catalogue bound at the rear can help date an early issue.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Newnes edition (published 25 March 1902) precedes the first American edition — McClure, Phillips & Co. (published 15 April 1902) — by about three weeks; UK before US. Both are collected: the UK Newnes is the true first, the US McClure, Phillips is a separate American first. The Strand Magazine serial (Aug 1901–Apr 1902) predates book form but is a periodical, not a book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Newnes impressions, cheap reissues, and modern facsimiles carry different bindings and advertisement states and may or may not preserve the page-13 reading — so never rely on the 'you/your' misprint alone. Verify the first-issue red-cloth binding, the presence of all 16 Paget plates, and the rear advertisements together with the textual point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hound of the Baskervilles* by Arthur Conan Doyle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles
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.