# Is "The Red Rover: A Tale" by James Fenimore Cooper a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Red Rover: A Tale by James Fenimore Cooper (Henry Colburn, 1827) is identified by: The earliest printing of the text is an English-language edition produced in Paris for the bookseller Hector Bossange, printed by Lachevardiere, title-paged 1827 with a wrapper dated 1828; although sometimes described as a French edition, its title page reads "THE RED ROVER, A TALE" in English, and it is distinct from "Le Corsaire rouge," the genuine French-language translation Charles Gosselin published separately in Paris the same year. Bossange's Paris printing was produced before the London edition and, per Spiller & Blackburn, is the earliest printing of the text; it is in English, not French, despite occasionally being mislabeled, and should not be confused with "Le Corsaire rouge," the true French-language translation Gosselin published separately.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The earliest printing of the text is an English-language edition produced in Paris for the bookseller Hector Bossange, printed by Lachevardiere, title-paged 1827 with a wrapper dated 1828; although sometimes described as a French edition, its title page reads "THE RED ROVER, A TALE" in English, and it is distinct from "Le Corsaire rouge," the genuine French-language translation Charles Gosselin published separately in Paris the same year
- Henry Colburn's three-volume London edition followed within days -- Cooper's wife recalled simultaneous publication on November 27, 1827, while a later account attributed to Richard Bentley placed London three days behind, on November 30
- The Philadelphia edition from Carey, Lea & Carey did not appear until January 9, 1828; per Spiller & Blackburn's descriptive bibliography, its second volume carries one leaf of publisher's advertisements at the back
- Both the London and Philadelphia first editions were issued in publisher's boards with paper spine labels, the Philadelphia sheets in distinctive light-blue boards with white paper spines
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Colburn
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Fenimore Cooper |
| Publisher | Henry Colburn |
| Year | 1827 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The earliest printing of the text is an English-language edition produced in Paris for the bookseller Hector Bossange, printed by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The earliest printing of the text is an English-language edition produced in Paris for the bookseller Hector Bossange, printed by Lachevardiere, title-paged 1827 with a wrapper dated 1828; although sometimes described as a French edition, its title page reads "THE RED ROVER, A TALE" in English, and it is distinct from "Le Corsaire rouge," the genuine French-language translation Charles Gosselin published separately in Paris the same year. Henry Colburn's three-volume London edition followed within days -- Cooper's wife recalled simultaneous publication on November 27, 1827, while a later account attributed to Richard Bentley placed London three days behind, on November 30. The Philadelphia edition from Carey, Lea & Carey did not appear until January 9, 1828; per Spiller & Blackburn's descriptive bibliography, its second volume carries one leaf of publisher's advertisements at the back. Both the London and Philadelphia first editions were issued in publisher's boards with paper spine labels, the Philadelphia sheets in distinctive light-blue boards with white paper spines.

## Is this the true first?
Bossange's Paris printing was produced before the London edition and, per Spiller & Blackburn, is the earliest printing of the text; it is in English, not French, despite occasionally being mislabeled, and should not be confused with "Le Corsaire rouge," the true French-language translation Gosselin published separately. Henry Colburn's London edition (November 1827) is the first English-language trade edition, and Carey, Lea & Carey's Philadelphia edition (January 9, 1828) is the first American edition, about six weeks later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Cooper's own revised text appeared in Richard Bentley's 1834 "Standard Novels" edition, whose new preface admits the original "has been found to be full of errors, in style, orthography, and taste"; this and later Putnam and Stringer & Townsend reprints reset the type in uniform bindings and do not reproduce the 1827-28 boards-and-paper-label format of the first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Red Rover: A Tale* by James Fenimore Cooper a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-red-rover-a-tale
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.