# Is "Villette" by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Villette by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') (Smith, Elder & Co., 1853) is identified by: Three volumes, octavo, 'by Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1853, printed by Stewart and Murray. The London Smith, Elder & Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three volumes, octavo, 'by Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1853, printed by Stewart and Murray
- The first edition was issued WITHOUT half-titles; the publisher's advertisement catalogue, when present, is dated January 1853 and bound at the end of volume one (some copies lack the catalogue)
- Standard collation: vol
- I [iv], 324; vol
- II [iv], 319; vol
- III [iv], 350
- Publisher imprint reads Smith, Elder & Co.

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') |
| Publisher | Smith, Elder & Co. |
| Year | 1853 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Three volumes, octavo, 'by Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1853, printed by Stewart and Murray |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three volumes, octavo, 'by Currer Bell', London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1853, printed by Stewart and Murray. The first edition was issued WITHOUT half-titles; the publisher's advertisement catalogue, when present, is dated January 1853 and bound at the end of volume one (some copies lack the catalogue). Standard collation: vol. I [iv], 324; vol. II [iv], 319; vol. III [iv], 350. Original cloth.

## Is this the true first?
The London Smith, Elder & Co. 1853 three-decker is the true first edition. The Harper & Brothers New York 1853 edition is the first American and is secondary.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later one-volume reprints are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Villette* by Charlotte Brontë (as 'Currer Bell') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/villette
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.