Another edition's cover
Cover of another edition of this book. The R. Bentley 1840 binding has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 10 Nov 2026.
Buy a copy: eBay
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.
The London edition is the true first: Bentley issued it on 25 February 1840, a few weeks before Lea and Blanchard's Philadelphia edition of 14 March 1840 (Spiller and Blackburn, as cited by an American dealer). It came out in three volumes without Cooper's name: the title pages credit 'the author of The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, etc.' The American edition is in two volumes with the Philadelphia imprint, and a Paris (Baudry) edition also appeared in 1840. A complete London set has all three volumes with Bentley's imprint dated 1840.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
R. Bentley, London, in 1840, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 10 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
Points of issue are small, documented details, such as a misprint later corrected, a binding colour or a jacket price, …
Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →