# Is "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (J. W. Arrowsmith, 1889) is identified by: Arrowsmith, Bristol, in August 1889, after serialization in Home Chimes; the Jerome K.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol, in August 1889, after serialization in Home Chimes; the Jerome K. Jerome Society bibliography gives the collation as [8], 1-2, 3-315, [5], with illustrations by A. Frederics
- The earliest recorded first-issue points are the title-page imprint reading 'Quay Street' with no street number, and 37 titles listed in the 'Bristol Library' advertisement at the rear
- Later states printed within 1889-90 show progressive corrections: the inverted initial 'I' on pages 77 and 95 corrected, a flaw developing in the ornamental initial 'T' on page 1, and the front endpaper heading changed to 'II Quay Street, Bristol.'
- Publisher imprint reads J. W. Arrowsmith
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerome K. Jerome |
| Publisher | J. W. Arrowsmith |
| Year | 1889 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol, in August 1889, after serialization in Home Chimes; the Jerome K. Jerome Society bibliography… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol, in August 1889, after serialization in Home Chimes; the Jerome K. Jerome Society bibliography gives the collation as [8], 1-2, 3-315, [5], with illustrations by A. Frederics. The earliest recorded first-issue points are the title-page imprint reading 'Quay Street' with no street number, and 37 titles listed in the 'Bristol Library' advertisement at the rear. Later states printed within 1889-90 show progressive corrections: the inverted initial 'I' on pages 77 and 95 corrected, a flaw developing in the ornamental initial 'T' on page 1, and the front endpaper heading changed to 'II Quay Street, Bristol.'

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Three Men in a Boat* by Jerome K. Jerome a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/three-men-in-a-boat
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.