# Is "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Longmans, Green & Co., 1886) is identified by: Issued in printed paper wrappers and in cloth. The US Scribner edition was issued 5 January 1886, four days before the UK Longmans edition of 9 January 1886, so the US is technically the true first by date — a classic precedence point.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in printed paper wrappers and in cloth
- On wrappered copies the front-wrapper date was printed '1885' with the final figure altered by hand to '6' (publication was delayed from December 1885 to January 1886); this altered date is the key first-issue point
- The Scribner US printing was about 3,000 copies, only roughly 1,250 of them in cloth
- Publisher imprint reads Longmans, Green & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Publisher | Longmans, Green & Co. |
| Year | 1886 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in printed paper wrappers and in cloth |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Issued in printed paper wrappers and in cloth. On wrappered copies the front-wrapper date was printed '1885' with the final figure altered by hand to '6' (publication was delayed from December 1885 to January 1886); this altered date is the key first-issue point. The Scribner US printing was about 3,000 copies, only roughly 1,250 of them in cloth.

## Is this the true first?
The US Scribner edition was issued 5 January 1886, four days before the UK Longmans edition of 9 January 1886, so the US is technically the true first by date — a classic precedence point. Both are collected; wrappered copies are far rarer than cloth.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry a cleanly printed '1886' wrapper date with no altered figure; any reset text or post-1886 advertisements denote reprints. Cloth copies are common, original-wrapper copies far scarcer.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde* by Robert Louis Stevenson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde
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.