# Is "The Rise of the Dutch Republic: A History" by John Lothrop Motley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Rise of the Dutch Republic: A History by John Lothrop Motley (John Chapman, 1856) is identified by: First published in three volumes in 1856, in both a London edition (John Chapman) and a New York edition (Harper & Brothers), the Harper printing collating ix,[1]-579; 1-582; 1-664pp. London (John Chapman) and New York (Harper & Brothers) editions both appeared in 1856; Motley financed the London printing himself after failing to interest an American publisher, and it is generally cited as preceding the Harper & Brothers edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in three volumes in 1856, in both a London edition (John Chapman) and a New York edition (Harper & Brothers), the Harper printing collating ix,[1]-579
- Motley drew the work from years of archival research in Dresden, Brussels, and The Hague, and, doubtful that any market existed for a history of the Netherlands, paid the costs of the London printing himself
- The book became an immediate critical and popular success on both sides of the Atlantic -- it sold some 15,000 copies within its first year -- and was quickly translated into Dutch, French, German, and Russian
- The London Chapman printing, Motley's self-financed launching point for the work, is generally treated by bibliographers as preceding the Harper & Brothers New York edition
- Publisher imprint reads John Chapman
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Lothrop Motley |
| Publisher | John Chapman |
| Year | 1856 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in three volumes in 1856, in both a London edition (John Chapman) and a New York edition (Harper & Brothers), the Harper… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published in three volumes in 1856, in both a London edition (John Chapman) and a New York edition (Harper & Brothers), the Harper printing collating ix,[1]-579; 1-582; 1-664pp. Motley drew the work from years of archival research in Dresden, Brussels, and The Hague, and, doubtful that any market existed for a history of the Netherlands, paid the costs of the London printing himself. The book became an immediate critical and popular success on both sides of the Atlantic -- it sold some 15,000 copies within its first year -- and was quickly translated into Dutch, French, German, and Russian. The London Chapman printing, Motley's self-financed launching point for the work, is generally treated by bibliographers as preceding the Harper & Brothers New York edition.

## Is this the true first?
London (John Chapman) and New York (Harper & Brothers) editions both appeared in 1856; Motley financed the London printing himself after failing to interest an American publisher, and it is generally cited as preceding the Harper & Brothers edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Rise of the Dutch Republic: A History* by John Lothrop Motley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-rise-of-the-dutch-republic-a-history
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.