The points of issue
Published December 1847 by Newby in three volumes as a matched set with Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey: Wuthering Heights fills volumes I and II, Agnes Grey occupies volume III. Title pages credit 'Ellis Bell' (Wuthering Heights) and 'Acton Bell' (Agnes Grey). The Newby printing is notoriously careless: erratic pagination, missing and faulty punctuation, three misspellings of 'Heights' (as 'Heghts') and several of 'Agnes' (as 'Anges'). The print run is believed to have been very small, around 250 copies.
Is this the true first?
The UK Newby 1847 three-volume set is the true first; a complete copy must include the Agnes Grey volume to be a matched set. The 1850 Smith, Elder one-volume reissue, edited by Charlotte with her preface and biographical notice and with Newby's errors corrected, is a later edited text, not the first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Any copy carrying Charlotte's 1850 preface, the biographical notice, or with Newby's printing errors corrected is a later edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Wuthering Heights a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Published December 1847 by Newby in three volumes as a matched set with Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey: Wuthering Heights fills volumes I and II, Agnes Grey occupies volume III. Title pages credit 'Ellis Bell' (Wuthering Heights) and 'Acton Bell' (Agnes Grey). The Newby printing is notoriously careless: erratic pagination, missing and faulty punctuation, three misspellings of 'Heights' (as 'Heghts') and several of 'Agnes' (as 'Anges'). The print run is believed to have been very small, around 250 copies.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The UK Newby 1847 three-volume set is the true first; a complete copy must include the Agnes Grey volume to be a matched set. The 1850 Smith, Elder one-volume reissue, edited by Charlotte with her preface and biographical notice and with Newby's errors corrected, is a later edited text, not the firs
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Any copy carrying Charlotte's 1850 preface, the biographical notice, or with Newby's printing errors corrected is a later edition.
I have a first edition of Wuthering Heights — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.