# Is "The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems" by Matthew Arnold a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems by Matthew Arnold (B. Fellowes, 1849) is identified by: Matthew Arnold's first book, published anonymously "By A." in an edition of only 500 copies; Arnold withdrew it from sale soon after publication, finding it had attracted little notice.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Matthew Arnold's first book, published anonymously "By A." in an edition of only 500 copies
- Arnold withdrew it from sale soon after publication, finding it had attracted little notice
- Collates viii, 128pp and includes "The Forsaken Merman" and "Mycerinus." Original binding is ribbed dark-green cloth elaborately blocked in blind with gilt spine lettering and pale yellow endpapers
- Publisher imprint reads B. Fellowes
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Matthew Arnold |
| Publisher | B. Fellowes |
| Year | 1849 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Matthew Arnold's first book, published anonymously "By A." in an edition of only 500 copies |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Matthew Arnold's first book, published anonymously "By A." in an edition of only 500 copies; Arnold withdrew it from sale soon after publication, finding it had attracted little notice. Collates viii, 128pp and includes "The Forsaken Merman" and "Mycerinus." Original binding is ribbed dark-green cloth elaborately blocked in blind with gilt spine lettering and pale yellow endpapers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Arnold reprinted only some of these poems, often in revised form, in his subsequent Poems (1853 and later) under his own name; a later collected volume bearing Arnold's name and containing "The Strayed Reveller" is not the anonymous 1849 first book.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems* by Matthew Arnold a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-strayed-reveller-and-other-poems
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.