# Is "Wylder's Hand" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wylder's Hand by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Richard Bentley, 1864) is identified by: First edition, three volumes, octavo, bound in decorated pebbled purple cloth with the front and rear panels elaborately stamped in blind and the spine panels stamped in gold, with cream coated endpapers. The three-volume London Bentley edition of 1864 precedes the American Carleton edition of 1865 and is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, three volumes, octavo, bound in decorated pebbled purple cloth with the front and rear panels elaborately stamped in blind and the spine panels stamped in gold, with cream coated endpapers
- The collation includes complete blank leaves preceding the title leaves of volumes II and III, a point that should be checked in any claimed first-edition set
- The first American edition (Carleton, New York, 1865) is a distinct, later issue and should not be confused with the Bentley first
- Publisher imprint reads Richard Bentley
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J. Sheridan Le Fanu |
| Publisher | Richard Bentley |
| Year | 1864 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, three volumes, octavo, bound in decorated pebbled purple cloth with the front and rear panels elaborately stamped in blind… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, three volumes, octavo, bound in decorated pebbled purple cloth with the front and rear panels elaborately stamped in blind and the spine panels stamped in gold, with cream coated endpapers. The collation includes complete blank leaves preceding the title leaves of volumes II and III, a point that should be checked in any claimed first-edition set. The first American edition (Carleton, New York, 1865) is a distinct, later issue and should not be confused with the Bentley first.

## Is this the true first?
The three-volume London Bentley edition of 1864 precedes the American Carleton edition of 1865 and is the true first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wylder's Hand* by J. Sheridan Le Fanu a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wylders-hand
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.