Is My Vivian Grey a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition (Sadleir 734), published anonymously in five volumes across two parts: Part I (volumes 1-2, four books) appeared 22 April 1826, and Part II (volumes 3-5, four further books) followed on 23 February 1827
• Original issue was octavo in paper boards with a printed paper spine label; half-titles are present in volumes 2 and 5 as issued, with terminal advertisement leaves in volumes 1 through 4
• Published anonymously and purportedly written by a 'man of fashion,' Part I caused a considerable stir in London society and went through further printings within its first year

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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. 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.
5. 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?

Because Part I proved an immediate sensation and was reprinted within its first year, genuine first-edition sets require volumes 1-2 in the true first printing (Sadleir 734); Sadleir separately records a second printing of the early volumes (735) bearing 'New Edition' on the title pages and 'Second Edition' on the spine labels, and sets mixing these reprinted volumes 1-2 with first-edition volumes 3-5 are commonly encountered in the trade.P-034593

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Disraeli substantially revised the novel for a new edition published in 1853 (prepared with his sister Sarah's help), softening the satirical treatment of real figures such as publisher John Murray -- the model for the Marquess of Carabas -- and other material he came to regard as the excesses of his youth; most modern reprints derive from this revised 1853 text rather than the original 1826-27 first edition.P-034594

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Vivian Grey a first edition?

A first edition of Vivian Grey by Benjamin Disraeli (Henry Colburn) is identified by: First edition (Sadleir 734), published anonymously in five volumes across two parts: Part I (volumes 1-2, four books) appeared 22 April 1826, and Part II (volumes 3-5, four further books) followed on 23 February 1827.

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. Because Part I proved an immediate sensation and was reprinted within its first year, genuine first-edition sets require volumes 1-2 in the true first printing (Sadleir 734); Sadleir separately records a second printing of the early volumes (735) bearing 'New Edition' on the title pages and 'Second Edition' on the spine labels, and sets mixing these reprinted volumes 1-2 with first-edition volumes 3-5 are commonly encountered in the trade.

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

Disraeli substantially revised the novel for a new edition published in 1853 (prepared with his sister Sarah's help), softening the satirical treatment of real figures such as publisher John Murray -- the model for the Marquess of Carabas -- and other material he came to regard as the excesses of his youth; most modern reprints derive from this revised 1853 text rather than the original 1826-27 first edition.

I have a first edition of Vivian Grey — 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.