# Is "Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (Bradbury & Evans, 1847-1848) is identified by: Issued first in 20 monthly parts (in 19, the last a double number) in canary-yellow printed wrappers, 1847-1848, with Thackeray's own illustrations; the same engraved illustration appears on the wrapper of each part, and the wrappers of the final parts occur in dated and undated states. The monthly parts in wrappers are the true first appearance; the 1848 bound volume is the first book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued first in 20 monthly parts (in 19, the last a double number) in canary-yellow printed wrappers, 1847-1848, with Thackeray's own illustrations; the same engraved illustration appears on the wrapper of each part, and the wrappers of the final parts occur in dated and undated states
- The 1848 first edition in book form carries the three classic first-issue points: the chapter heading on page 1 in rustic type; the woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne present on page 336 (this plate was suppressed and removed from later issues); and the reading 'Mr
- Pitt' for 'Sir Pitt' on page 453
- Publisher imprint reads Bradbury & Evans
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Makepeace Thackeray |
| Publisher | Bradbury & Evans |
| Year | 1847-1848 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued first in 20 monthly parts (in 19, the last a double number) in canary-yellow printed wrappers, 1847-1848, with Thackeray's own… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Issued first in 20 monthly parts (in 19, the last a double number) in canary-yellow printed wrappers, 1847-1848, with Thackeray's own illustrations; the same engraved illustration appears on the wrapper of each part, and the wrappers of the final parts occur in dated and undated states. The 1848 first edition in book form carries the three classic first-issue points: the chapter heading on page 1 in rustic type; the woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne present on page 336 (this plate was suppressed and removed from later issues); and the reading 'Mr. Pitt' for 'Sir Pitt' on page 453.

## Is this the true first?
The monthly parts in wrappers are the true first appearance; the 1848 bound volume is the first book edition. The three textual/illustration points (rustic-type heading page 1, the present-then-suppressed Steyne woodcut page 336, and 'Mr. Pitt' page 453) belong to the bound first edition, not the parts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Single bound volumes lacking the first-issue points, and later reprints, are not the first issue; the change of 'Mr. Pitt' to 'Sir Pitt' was made in the 1853 edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Vanity Fair* by William Makepeace Thackeray a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/vanity-fair
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.