The points of issue
First edition, London: Macmillan and Co., 1876, octavo, with nine wood-engraved illustrations by Henry Holiday. Bound in pictorial buff (pale brown) cloth gilt designed by Holiday, showing the Bellman on the ship's yardarm within a ruled border, all edges gilt, black endpapers. The key first-issue text point is 'Baker' (not 'Butcher') on page 83. Carroll also had a small number of copies bound in red, blue, green, and white cloth for presentation; these are not a separate edition.
Is this the true first?
The London Macmillan and Co. 1876 edition is the true first. The buff pictorial cloth is the standard trade binding of the first; the coloured presentation bindings are contemporaneous gift copies.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Macmillan reprints lack the 'Baker'/page-83 point and show differing binding and advertisement states.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Hunting of the Snark a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, London: Macmillan and Co., 1876, octavo, with nine wood-engraved illustrations by Henry Holiday. Bound in pictorial buff (pale brown) cloth gilt designed by Holiday, showing the Bellman on the ship's yardarm within a ruled border, all edges gilt, black endpapers. The key first-issue text point is 'Baker' (not 'Butcher') on page 83. Carroll also had a small number of copies bound in red, blue, green, and white cloth for presentation; these are not a separate edition.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The London Macmillan and Co. 1876 edition is the true first. The buff pictorial cloth is the standard trade binding of the first; the coloured presentation bindings are contemporaneous gift copies.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Macmillan reprints lack the 'Baker'/page-83 point and show differing binding and advertisement states.
I have a first edition of The Hunting of the Snark — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.