# Is "Windsor Castle: An Historical Romance" by William Harrison Ainsworth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Windsor Castle: An Historical Romance by William Harrison Ainsworth (Henry Colburn, 1843) is identified by: First edition in book form, three volumes octavo, published by Henry Colburn in 1843 following serialization in Ainsworth's Magazine (July 1842-June 1843). Serialized in Ainsworth's Magazine (July 1842-June 1843) ahead of any book publication.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in book form, three volumes octavo, published by Henry Colburn in 1843 following serialization in Ainsworth's Magazine (July 1842-June 1843)
- Original binding is half black cloth over drab boards with printed paper spine labels, edges uncut; a half title appears only in volume III. A significant illustration-based issue point: the 1843 three-volume Colburn edition contains only a Maclise-designed frontispiece and two further steel engravings by George Cruikshank, whereas a single-volume edition issued by Colburn the same year (in eleven monthly parts) carries the full illustration program by Tony Johannot, Cruikshank, and Delamotte -- so a three-volume set with only three plates is consistent with the true triple-decker first edition, not a defective copy
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Colburn
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Harrison Ainsworth |
| Publisher | Henry Colburn |
| Year | 1843 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in book form, three volumes octavo, published by Henry Colburn in 1843 following serialization in Ainsworth's Magazine (July… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in book form, three volumes octavo, published by Henry Colburn in 1843 following serialization in Ainsworth's Magazine (July 1842-June 1843). Original binding is half black cloth over drab boards with printed paper spine labels, edges uncut; a half title appears only in volume III. A significant illustration-based issue point: the 1843 three-volume Colburn edition contains only a Maclise-designed frontispiece and two further steel engravings by George Cruikshank, whereas a single-volume edition issued by Colburn the same year (in eleven monthly parts) carries the full illustration program by Tony Johannot, Cruikshank, and Delamotte -- so a three-volume set with only three plates is consistent with the true triple-decker first edition, not a defective copy.

## Is this the true first?
Serialized in Ainsworth's Magazine (July 1842-June 1843) ahead of any book publication. The three-volume Colburn edition and the single-volume Colburn edition issued in eleven monthly parts (1843-44) are two distinct, concurrently marketed book issues rather than sequential editions and carry different illustration programs, so neither should be read as a later or defective copy of the other.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The single-volume Colburn edition, issued concurrently in eleven monthly parts during 1843-44 with a much fuller illustration program (Johannot, Cruikshank, and Delamotte), is a separate issue from the three-volume first edition and should not be mistaken for it or treated as superseding it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Windsor Castle: An Historical Romance* by William Harrison Ainsworth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/windsor-castle-an-historical-romance
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.