Is My The Prince and the Pauper a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Dawson Brothers of Montreal printed about 275 paper-covered copies in late November 1881 as part of Twain's bid for Canadian copyright, shortly before the Chatto & Windus London edition of December 1, 1881, which the trade customarily treats as the true first edition
• The American edition, published by James R. Osgood in Boston on December 12, 1881 and issued by subscription, carries '1882' on the title page with '1881' as the copyright date
• A genuine first-printing, first-state copy shows the Franklin Press imprint on the copyright page along with the textual misprints 'estate' on page 124, 'do not' on page 263, and 'reigned' on page 362

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the British true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Chatto & Windus London edition of December 1, 1881 is the edition dealers customarily call the true first, published just ahead of the Osgood Boston edition of December 12, 1881 to secure British copyright. Dawson Brothers of Montreal separately printed roughly 275 copies in paper wrappers in late November 1881, earlier still, but only to support an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at Canadian copyright; this printing is exceptionally scarce and is not what the trade treats as the first edition.P-034370

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings correct the three page 124/263/362 misprints and drop the Franklin Press imprint from the copyright page; a second-state binding, with the spine's center rosette set 1/16 inch below the fillet, is also recorded and should not be mistaken for the first state.P-034371

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Prince and the Pauper a first edition?

A first edition of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (Dawson Brothers) is identified by: Dawson Brothers of Montreal printed about 275 paper-covered copies in late November 1881 as part of Twain's bid for Canadian copyright, shortly before the Chatto & Windus London edition of December 1, 1881, which the trade customarily treats as the true first edition.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The Chatto & Windus London edition of December 1, 1881 is the edition dealers customarily call the true first, published just ahead of the Osgood Boston edition of December 12, 1881 to secure British copyright.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later printings correct the three page 124/263/362 misprints and drop the Franklin Press imprint from the copyright page; a second-state binding, with the spine's center rosette set 1/16 inch below the fillet, is also recorded and should not be mistaken for the first state.

I have a first edition of The Prince and the Pauper — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.