# Is "The Last Man" by Mary Shelley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Man by Mary Shelley (Henry Colburn, 1826) is identified by: First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Frankenstein') by Henry Colburn on 23 January 1826, entirely uncut as issued.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Frankenstein') by Henry Colburn on 23 January 1826, entirely uncut as issued
- Collation is xii, 358, [2 ads]; [ii], 328; [iii], 352 pages, with a checkable point in volume I, where page 327 is misnumbered as 227
- Two advertisement leaves appear at the rear of volume I. No author's name appears on the title page of any volume
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Colburn
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Shelley |
| Publisher | Henry Colburn |
| Year | 1826 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Frankenstein') by Henry Colburn on 23 January 1826, entirely uncut… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, three volumes, published anonymously ('by the author of Frankenstein') by Henry Colburn on 23 January 1826, entirely uncut as issued. Collation is xii, 358, [2 ads]; [ii], 328; [iii], 352 pages, with a checkable point in volume I, where page 327 is misnumbered as 227. Two advertisement leaves appear at the rear of volume I. No author's name appears on the title page of any volume.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Man* by Mary Shelley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-man
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.