[PW] the cult of the first edition

[Callum Finlayson]

My gut reaction was it's anachronistic, however the expression "editio princeps" was in use by Thomas Dibdin at the start of the 19th century.


  Callum


>The patron is me so no rush. I am reviewing a novel set in 1857, and am 
>occasionally struck by anachronistic language. In the chapter I finished last 
>night, the main character is in a Boston bookshop and finds  a first edition 
>of Rasselas--using that exact phrase in a discussion with a friend. 1857 
>strikes me as rather early for the concept of 'a first edition' to be on a 
>bibliophile's mind.
>
>My library is rather short on books on collecting. Does anyone have any idea 
>when the concept of the first edition came into being?
>
>Many thanks,
>
>Kevin
>
>       
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