Apostrophe verses the numeral 7.....

Concerning the first edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A CHILD"S
GARDEN OF VERSES

One bookseller says:

"The apostrophe on the spine occurs in rounded form or, as here, shaped
like the numeral "7". "

Another bookseller says:

" Original peacock-blue bevelled cloth boards, binding variant with
apostrophe after the "D" in Child's on spine"

And still another says:

The apostrophe in the second word on the spine is shaped like the
numeral "7". It also occurs in a rounded form"

And one more:

"First issue with "7" on spine instead of the apostrophe. Bookseller
Inventory..."

Is is safe to say that there is no priority to the first issue
binding...that the book can have either an apostrophe or a number 7
and, either way, be called the first issue of the first edition?

As always TIA

Jonathan

Jonathan wrote:
> Concerning the first edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A CHILD"S
> GARDEN OF VERSES
>
> One bookseller says:
>
> "The apostrophe on the spine occurs in rounded form or, as here, shaped
> like the numeral "7". "
>
> Another bookseller says:
>
> " Original peacock-blue bevelled cloth boards, binding variant with
> apostrophe after the "D" in Child's on spine"
>
> And still another says:
>
> The apostrophe in the second word on the spine is shaped like the
> numeral "7". It also occurs in a rounded form"
>
> And one more:
>
> "First issue with "7" on spine instead of the apostrophe. Bookseller
> Inventory..."
>
> Is is safe to say that there is no priority to the first issue
> binding...that the book can have either an apostrophe or a number 7
> and, either way, be called the first issue of the first edition?
>
> As always TIA
>
> Jonathan
>


I found this bibliography of the works of RLS on the internet:
http://dinamico.unibg.it/rls/tigerbooks.htm


It contained the following remarks about the first issue of A Child's Garden of
Verses:

"Details:

"1st UK edit *(xii)+101+(3)pp *ded to Alison Cunningham *peacock blue cl, dec
gold, lettered gilt *bevelled bds *white epps

"Comments:

"i) 1st issues: sp has an apostrophe shaped like a '7'; ii) contains 64 poems;
iii) from a trial book ptd in 1883 entitled 'Penny Whistles' "

They also note that a second edition came out in 1885 as well, without the
apostrophe.

It would appear from this document that the "7" shaped apostrophe indicates the
first issue.


Francis A. Miniter