Is My Copy of 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

• Pre-early-1920s: year printed on the TITLE PAGE of the first edition with the copyright page left blank; later printings carry a later copyright-page date or reprint note

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. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.