The Castle of Otranto
The Castle of Otranto is a novel by Horace Walpole, first published in London in December 1764, printed for the bookseller Thomas Lownds, with the title page dated 1765. It posed as a translation of an old Italian manuscript and is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel.
- Editions tracked
- 1
- First edition
- printed for Tho. Lownds, 1765
- First published
- Thomas Lownds, London, 1764
The first edition of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole was published in London by printed for Tho. Lownds in 1765. We track 1 edition, with the points that separate the first printing from later ones.
Spot the first edition: Title page: subtitle is 'a story', with no 'Gothic', and the imprint names Lownds only; the second edition reads 'a Gothic story' and adds Bathoe to the imprint (first edition) Full identification guide
Which edition do you have?
First edition
Awards, adaptations and setting
Adaptations
- The Count of Narbonne adaptation, 1781
In print
- Editions recorded
- 582 on Open Library, 519 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 28 languages
- Free to read
- Project Gutenberg (out of copyright in the US)
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
More by Horace Walpole
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How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
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Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of The Castle of Otranto?
The first edition of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole was published in London by printed for Tho. Lownds in 1765.
How many editions of The Castle of Otranto are there?
We track 1 edition of The Castle of Otranto, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has The Castle of Otranto been adapted?
Yes, including The Count of Narbonne (adaptation, 1781), according to Wikidata.
Can I read The Castle of Otranto for free?
Yes: the text is out of copyright in the United States and free to read on Project Gutenberg. Collectors still pay for the first edition, which is the physical object, not the words.
Where these facts come from
- The Castle of Otranto, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The castle of Otranto, a story (ESTC T63198), The Grub Street Project (grubstreetproject.net)
- The castle of Otranto, a story, Wellcome Collection (wellcomecollection.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.