The points of issue
First edition in original blue cloth, pictorially decorated and lettered in gilt with an elephant-and-rider design and gilt top edge. Illustrations by J. L. Kipling, W. H. Drake, and P. Frenzeny. Dated 1894 on the title page. Macmillan and Co., London.
Is this the true first?
The London Macmillan 1894 edition and the New York Century Co. 1894 edition were issued very close together (reported as the same day), so precedence between them is not clean; the British Macmillan issue is conventionally treated as the first. The two are easily distinguished: Macmillan in blue pictorial cloth, Century in olive-green cross-hatched cloth with a dust jacket.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Macmillan printings within 1894-95 (so-called later impressions) differ from the first; distinguish the first impression from subsequent printings, and from the Century Co. American issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Jungle Book a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition in original blue cloth, pictorially decorated and lettered in gilt with an elephant-and-rider design and gilt top edge. Illustrations by J. L. Kipling, W. H. Drake, and P. Frenzeny. Dated 1894 on the title page. Macmillan and Co., London.
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 1894 edition and the New York Century Co. 1894 edition were issued very close together (reported as the same day), so precedence between them is not clean; the British Macmillan issue is conventionally treated as the first. The two are easily distinguished: Macmillan in blue pic
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Macmillan printings within 1894-95 (so-called later impressions) differ from the first; distinguish the first impression from subsequent printings, and from the Century Co. American issue.
I have a first edition of The Jungle Book — 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.