# Is "The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century" by William Makepeace Thackeray a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century by William Makepeace Thackeray (Bradbury and Evans, 1858) is identified by: First edition, issued in 24 monthly parts from November 1857 to October 1859 in publisher's yellow paper wrappers with advertisements, then bound in two volumes with title pages dated 1858 and 1859.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, issued in 24 monthly parts from November 1857 to October 1859 in publisher's yellow paper wrappers with advertisements, then bound in two volumes with title pages dated 1858 and 1859
- First issue, first state, is identified by the misprint 'actresses' for 'ancestresses' on page 207 (in part 7 of the serial issue), and by part 12 having chapters XLVII-XLVIII misnumbered as XLVIII-XLIX. Illustrated with 48 engraved plates and small in-text woodcuts by Thackeray himself -- the last book he illustrated in his own hand
- Publisher imprint reads Bradbury and Evans
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Makepeace Thackeray |
| Publisher | Bradbury and Evans |
| Year | 1858 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, issued in 24 monthly parts from November 1857 to October 1859 in publisher's yellow paper wrappers with advertisements, then… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, issued in 24 monthly parts from November 1857 to October 1859 in publisher's yellow paper wrappers with advertisements, then bound in two volumes with title pages dated 1858 and 1859. First issue, first state, is identified by the misprint 'actresses' for 'ancestresses' on page 207 (in part 7 of the serial issue), and by part 12 having chapters XLVII-XLVIII misnumbered as XLVIII-XLIX. Illustrated with 48 engraved plates and small in-text woodcuts by Thackeray himself -- the last book he illustrated in his own hand.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century* by William Makepeace Thackeray a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-virginians-a-tale-of-the-last-century
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.