# Is "The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (Dawson Brothers, 1881) 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. 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Dawson Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mark Twain |
| Publisher | Dawson Brothers |
| Year | 1881 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Dawson Brothers of Montreal printed about 275 paper-covered copies in late November 1881 as part of Twain's bid for Canadian copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Prince and the Pauper* by Mark Twain a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-prince-and-the-pauper
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.