How to Identify a Ticknor and Fields First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• No formal first-edition statement existed; rely on date agreement: the year on the title page should match the copyright date with no later printing noted.
• First printings carry a dated title page and frequently a publisher's catalogue/advertisement section at the rear; rear-ad dates can help establish printing priority.
• Absence of any 'second/third thousand' or reprint notice on the title page or verso indicates an early printing.

Notable points & cautions

• Name evolved through several partnerships; the date-agreement rule holds across Wm. D. Ticknor & Co., Ticknor, Reed & Fields, and Ticknor and Fields.
• Operated out of the Old Corner Bookstore, Boston (until Fields sold it in 1864); published Hawthorne, Longfellow, Emerson, Holmes, Whittier, Stowe, and Thoreau, plus authorized US Dickens and Tennyson.
• Rear-advertisement/catalogue dating is a useful printing-priority aid for this house given the absence of stated editions.
• Succeeded by Fields, Osgood & Co. (1868), then James R. Osgood & Co. (1871); the firm lineage eventually became Houghton Mifflin.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: William D. Ticknor & Co. (1832-1843), William D. Ticknor & Company (1843-1849), Ticknor, Reed & Fields (1849-1854), Ticknor and Fields (1854-1868), Fields, Osgood & Co. (1868-1871, successor). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Ticknor and Fields book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. No formal first-edition statement existed; rely on date agreement: the year on the title page should match the copyright date with no later printing noted. First printings carry a dated title page and frequently a publisher's catalogue/advertisement section at the rear; rear-ad dates can help establish printing priority.

Does Ticknor and Fields use a number line?

First printings carry a dated title page and frequently a publisher's catalogue/advertisement section at the rear; rear-ad dates can help establish printing priority.

Is a book-club edition a Ticknor and Fields first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Name evolved through several partnerships; the date-agreement rule holds across Wm. D. Ticknor & Co., Ticknor, Reed & Fields, and Ticknor and Fields.

What era does this cover?

This covers Ticknor and Fields (1832-1868 (firm name); antiquarian). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.