First impression
1905At a glance
Points of issue
- p. 187page number misprinted as 871→ first printing
NostromoHarper & Brothers
First edition
Hardback
Nostromo (1904)
Publisher Harper & Brothers
Year 1904
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 Nov 2026.
Market value
What decides the price
- It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
- The first printing is told from later ones by 1 point of issue listed below.
- Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.
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Sales record
No sales recorded yet
We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
Pro members with this book on their wantlist are emailed when it sells under their price.
Quick answer
- How do I identify a Nostromo first edition?
- Check these points. P. 187: page number misprinted as 871. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
- Who published the Nostromo first edition?
- Harper & Brothers, London, England, in 1904, in hardback.
How to identify this edition
First edition in book form, with Harper & Brothers, London and New York, 1904 on the title page, published on 14 October 1904 after serialisation in T.P.'s Weekly during 1904. About 2,000 copies were printed. Octavo, [8] and 480 pages, in blue cloth with a wave-pattern design on the upper board, which is lettered in white or pale grey, and gilt lettering on the spine. The recognised first-printing point is the page number on p. 187 misprinted as 871. References: Wise 15; Cagle A10a.1.
How Harper & Brothers marked its first editions
Harper printed a two-letter code on the copyright page from 1912 until 1968. The first letter gives the month of printing and the second the year, so a code such as "D-Y" means April 1949.
The month letters run A (January) to M (December) with J skipped, so I is September and K is October.
Read the full guide to Harper & Brothers first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
Printing by printing
Printings and states
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a Nostromo first edition?
Check these points. P. 187: page number misprinted as 871. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
Who published the Nostromo first edition?
Harper & Brothers, London, England, in 1904, in hardback.
Where these facts come from
- Nostromo, Lucius Books (luciusbooks.com)
- Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, Bauman Rare Books (baumanrarebooks.com)
- Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, London and New York 1904, Shapero Rare Books (shapero.com)
- Nostromo, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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