How to Identify a John Murray First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• No formal edition statement on most 19th-century Murray firsts: identify by the title-page date with no 'New Edition' / 'Second Edition' / number-of-thousand line, the correct imprint ('John Murray, Albemarle Street'), and all plates, maps and folding tables present as called for.
• Inserted publisher's advertisement catalogue, frequently dated (for example 'March 1859'); on travel and scientific works a dated ad catalogue is a strong printing indicator and is sometimes the only dating evidence.
• Darwin's On the Origin of Species (Murray, 1859): the true first is 1,250 copies. The diagnostic points are the misprint 'speceies' at page 20, line 11, and the 'whale-bear' passage printed in full at page 184 (both corrected/diluted in the second edition). A '4th thousand' or higher number-of-thousand statement on the title page indicates a later printing. Collate against Freeman (F373).
• Match folding plates, maps and the errata leaf where called for; rebound or made-up copies lack the original cloth and inserted ads.

Notable points & cautions

• Storied house: Byron, Jane Austen (later issues), Darwin, Livingstone, Murray's Handbooks for travellers, and the Quarterly Review.
• On the Origin of Species is the marquee Murray point-book; number-of-thousand statements on the title page distinguish the early printings, with the 'speceies' typo and full whale-bear passage marking the first.
• Successive proprietors all named John Murray (II–IV in the 19th century) operated from 50 Albemarle Street (from 1812); the address is a near-constant identifier.
• Acquired Smith, Elder & Co. in 1917, absorbing the Brontë / Thackeray backlist.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: John Murray (50 Albemarle Street, from 1812), John Murray (II/III/IV — successive proprietors). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my John Murray book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. No formal edition statement on most 19th-century Murray firsts: identify by the title-page date with no 'New Edition' / 'Second Edition' / number-of-thousand line, the correct imprint ('John Murray, Albemarle Street'), and all plates, maps and folding tables present as called for. Inserted publisher's advertisement catalogue, frequently dated (for example 'March 1859'); on travel and scientific works a dated ad catalogue is a strong printing indicator and is sometimes the only dating evidence.

Does John Murray use a number line?

Inserted publisher's advertisement catalogue, frequently dated (for example 'March 1859'); on travel and scientific works a dated ad catalogue is a strong printing indicator and is sometimes the only dating evidence.

Is a book-club edition a John Murray first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Storied house: Byron, Jane Austen (later issues), Darwin, Livingstone, Murray's Handbooks for travellers, and the Quarterly Review.

What era does this cover?

This covers John Murray (1768–20th c. (this slice = 19th c.)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.