# Is "The Princess and Curdie" by George MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald (Chatto and Windus, 1883) is identified by: Sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, illustrated in line by James Allen rather than by Arthur Hughes, who had illustrated the first book. MacDonald's British publisher, Chatto and Windus, holds priority; the J.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, illustrated in line by James Allen rather than by Arthur Hughes, who had illustrated the first book
- The first edition is octavo, collating vi, 255pp with a frontispiece and 10 plates, bound in original green pictorial cloth with gilt titling, patterned endpapers, and all edges stained red
- First-edition copies include a 32-page publisher's catalogue, dated July 1882, bound in at the rear
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto and Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George MacDonald |
| Publisher | Chatto and Windus |
| Year | 1883 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, illustrated in line by James Allen rather than by Arthur Hughes, who had illustrated the first book |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, illustrated in line by James Allen rather than by Arthur Hughes, who had illustrated the first book. The first edition is octavo, collating vi, 255pp with a frontispiece and 10 plates, bound in original green pictorial cloth with gilt titling, patterned endpapers, and all edges stained red. First-edition copies include a 32-page publisher's catalogue, dated July 1882, bound in at the rear.

## Is this the true first?
MacDonald's British publisher, Chatto and Windus, holds priority; the J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia) edition issued the same year is catalogued by dealers as the 'first American edition' rather than the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Princess and Curdie* by George MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-princess-and-curdie
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.