# Is "Tom Brown's School Days" by Thomas Hughes (as 'An Old Boy') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes (as 'An Old Boy') (Macmillan and Co., 1857) is identified by: Published anonymously as 'by An Old Boy' in April 1857 by Macmillan and Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Published anonymously as 'by An Old Boy' in April 1857 by Macmillan and Co. of Cambridge
- The book proved so popular that five separate English editions appeared within the same calendar year, making precise identification of the true first essential
- The first edition, first issue is identified by the misprint 'nottable' for 'notable' at line 15 of page 24, an error corrected in later 1857 printings, together with the presence of a publisher's catalogue at the rear dated February 1857
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan and Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Hughes (as 'An Old Boy') |
| Publisher | Macmillan and Co. |
| Year | 1857 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Published anonymously as 'by An Old Boy' in April 1857 by Macmillan and Co. of Cambridge |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Published anonymously as 'by An Old Boy' in April 1857 by Macmillan and Co. of Cambridge. The book proved so popular that five separate English editions appeared within the same calendar year, making precise identification of the true first essential. The first edition, first issue is identified by the misprint 'nottable' for 'notable' at line 15 of page 24, an error corrected in later 1857 printings, together with the presence of a publisher's catalogue at the rear dated February 1857.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tom Brown's School Days* by Thomas Hughes (as 'An Old Boy') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tom-browns-school-days
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.