Is My Treasure Island a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First book edition: Cassell & Company, London, published 14 November 1883 (title page dated 1883), first printing of 2,000 copies, following serialization in Young Folks (1881-82) as 'The Sea Cook.' Frontispiece map of Treasure Island printed in four colours (often with a tissue guard, frequently now lacking)
• Earliest-state rear advertisements coded '5R-10.83' (October 1883)
• First-issue textual points: 'dead man's chest' NOT capitalised (page 2, line 6, and page 7, line 19); 'rain' for 'vain' in the last line of page 40; the 'a' lacking in line 6 of page 63; page 83 correctly numbered (the '8' present) while the '7' is LACKING on page 127 (misnumbered '12'); no full stop after 'opportunity' in line 20 of page 178; and 'worse' for 'worst' in line 3 of page 197
• In the publisher's advertisements Treasure Island itself is listed at 304 pp

How Cassell & Company marked a first edition

• First printing = era-appropriate (title-page date pre-1920s / copyright statement after) with no reprint notation

Full Cassell & Company first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The UK Cassell 1883 edition is the true first book edition; the 1884 US (Roberts Brothers, Boston) edition follows. Serialization in Young Folks (1881-82, as 'The Sea Cook') predates the book but is not a book edition. The dated rear advertisements ('5R-10.83') and the uncorrected textual readings above confirm the earliest state; because these points are heavily faked, verify several together rather than relying on any single one.P-037199

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings carry an edition statement on the title page or later-dated advertisements, and correct the textual points (e.g., 'vain' for 'rain,' capitalised 'Dead Man's Chest,' a full stop after 'opportunity,' and full pagination on page 127). A copy showing the corrected readings or later ads is a later issue, not the first.P-037200

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Treasure Island a first edition?

A first edition of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Cassell & Company) is identified by: First book edition: Cassell & Company, London, published 14 November 1883 (title page dated 1883), first printing of 2,000 copies, following serialization in Young Folks (1881-82) as 'The Sea Cook.' Frontispiece map of Treasure Island printed in four colours (often with a tissue guard, frequently now lacking).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The UK Cassell 1883 edition is the true first book edition; the 1884 US (Roberts Brothers, Boston) edition follows.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later printings carry an edition statement on the title page or later-dated advertisements, and correct the textual points (e.g., 'vain' for 'rain,' capitalised 'Dead Man's Chest,' a full stop after 'opportunity,' and full pagination on page 127). A copy showing the corrected readings or later ads is a later issue, not the first.

I have a first edition of Treasure Island — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.