The points of issue
Three volumes, title pages dated 1860 (published 4 April 1860), issued in publisher's cinnamon/orange-brown cloth lettered and decorated in gilt. Earliest-state copies lack the advertisement leaf inserted in Volume I and carry rear advertisements in Volume III that cite Adam Bede in its seventh edition; copies with the inserted ad leaf and the eighth-edition Adam Bede advertisement are a slightly later state of the same first edition.
Is this the true first?
The Blackwood three-volume edition of 1860 is the true first; it precedes the Harper American edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later one-volume Blackwood reprints are not the first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Mill on the Floss a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Three volumes, title pages dated 1860 (published 4 April 1860), issued in publisher's cinnamon/orange-brown cloth lettered and decorated in gilt. Earliest-state copies lack the advertisement leaf inserted in Volume I and carry rear advertisements in Volume III that cite Adam Bede in its seventh edition; copies with the inserted ad leaf and the eighth-edition Adam Bede advertisement are a slightly later state of the same first 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 Blackwood three-volume edition of 1860 is the true first; it precedes the Harper American edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later one-volume Blackwood reprints are not the first edition.
I have a first edition of The Mill on the Floss — 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.