Steady sellers like The Wide, Wide World were often printed with metal plates made using stereotyping, electrotyping, or lithography. With this method, printers did not have to store standing moveable type in order to print new versions of the novel. Based on comparisons of all known versions, there are fifty different plate sets from which the Wide, Wide World was printed. Versions of the novel printed from the same plate set have the same number of pages, and text begins and ends in the same place on each page. Differences among plate sets are sometimes substantial, including variant chapters, character names, and excised text. This chronological list provides access to each edition of the novel printed from a specific set of plates, along with the basic textual characteristics of each plate set.

Plate Set 1, Published by George Palmer Putnam, New York, December 4, 1850

First Page of Text in Volume 1 of the 1851 George P. Putnam First Edition, Version 3

Plate Set 2, Published by Sampson Low, London, April 8, 1852

London publisher Sampson Low used this plate set to print one edition in 1852. 

Features

  • Two volumes
  • Volume 1 has 380 pages, Volume 2 has 490 pages
  • Chapter epigraphs throughout
  • Title is included on the first page of text
  • Continuous chapter breaks, with a ruled line between
  • No chapter titles on chapter breaks
  • 6 point font
Full text is available at the "Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature." University of Florida Digital Collections. Web. 28 Mar. 2018.

First Page of Text of Volume 2 of the 1852 Sampson Low Reprint

Plate Set 3, Published by George Palmer Putnam & Co., New York, April 17, 1852

First Page of Text in Volume 1 of the 1852 George P. Putnam 16th Edition, Version 1

Plate Set 4, Published by James Nisbet, Sampson Low, Hamilton, Adams and Co., London, September 1, 1852

Title Page to Volume 1 of the 1852 James Nisbet, Sampson Low, Hamilton, Adams & Co. "Second Edition" Reprint

Plate Set 5, Published by Clarke, Beeton, & Co., London, December 18, 1852

First Page of Text in the [1853] Clarke, Beeton, & Co. Reprint, Version 1

Plate Set 6, Published by T. Nelson & Sons, London & Edinburgh, 1852

First Page of Text in the 1852 T. Nelson & Sons Reprint, Version 1

Plate Set 7, Published by T. Nelson & Sons, London, January 1, 1853

First Page of Text in the 1853 T. Nelson & Sons "Nelson's Library for Travellers and the Fireside" Reprint

Plate Set 8, Published by H.G. Bohn, London, January 28, 1853

London publisher H. G. Bohn used this plate set to print four editions from 1853 to 1854. The plate set’s most distinctive feature is a unique running header describing the action on each page of text.

Features

  • One volume
  • 519 pages
  • Chapter epigraphs throughout
  • Title is included on the first page of text
  • Continuous chapter breaks, with a ruled line between
  • No chapter titles on chapter breaks
  • 10 point font

First Page of Text in the 1853 H. G. Bohn Reprint, Version 1

Plate Set 9, Published by Eli Charles Eginton & Co., London, February 5, 1853

First Page of Text in the 1853 Eli Charles Eginton & Co. "Pocket Library" Reprint

Plate Set 10, Published by James Nisbet, Hamilton, Adams, London, February 5, 1853

First Page of Text in Volume 1 of the 1853 James Nisbet, Hamilton, Adams & Co. "New Edition" Reprint

Plate Set 11, Published by E. Farrington, London, February 27, 1853

First Page of Text in the 1853 Farrington "People's ed." Reprint

Plate Set 12, Published by James Nisbet, Sampson Low, Hamilton, Adam, and Co., London, April 8, 1853

Plate Set 13, Published by George Routledge & Co., London, April 8, 1853

First Page of Text of the 1853 G. Routledge and Co. Reprint

Plate Set 14, Published by G .P. Putnam & Co., New York, November 24, 1853

First Page of Text in Volume 1 of the 1853 G.P. Putnam & Co. "Illustrated Edition" Reprint

Plate Set 15, Published by B. Tauchnitz, Leipzig, 1854

Plate Set 16, Published by J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1862

First Page of Text in Volume 1 of the 1869 J. B. Lippincott & Co. "New Edition" Reprint

Plate Set 17, Published by Milner & Co., Halifax, 1866

Plate Set 18, Published by Milner & Sowerby, London, 1867

First Page of Text in the [1867] Milner & Sowerby "The Wide, Wide World Library" Reprint

Plate Set 19, Published by Ward, Lock, & Co., London, 1873

Plate Set 20, Published by William Nicholson & Sons, London, 1874

First Page of Text in the [1874] William Nicholson & Sons, S.D. Ewins & Co. Reprint

Plate Set 21, First Published by George Routledge & Sons, London, 1874

First Page of Text in the [1884] Frederick Warne & Co. "Star Series" Reprint

Plate Set 22, Published by Milner & Co., London, 1877

First Page of Text in the [1877] Milner & Co. Reprint

Plate Set 23, First Published by Ward, Lock & Co., London, 1877

First Page of Text in the [1896] The Grand Colosseum Warehouse Co. "Complete Edition" Reprint

Plate Set 24, Published by Milner & Sowerby, London, 1879

First Page of Text in the [1879] Milner & Sowerby Reprint

Plate Set 25, First Published by James Nisbet & Co., London, 1879

London publisher James Nisbet first used this plate set in 1879. Nisbet, London publisher Frederick Warne, and London publisher Li-Quor Tea continued producing variant editions through 1896. 14 editions used this plate set.

First Page of Text in the 1879 James Nisbet & Co. "Golden Ladder Series" Reprint

Plate Set 26, Published by John F. Shaw & Co. 1883. London

First Page of Text in the [1883] John F Shaw & Co. Reprint

Plate Set 27, Published by George Routledge & Sons, London, 1885

First Page of Text in the [1885] George Routledge & Co. "Ruby Series" Reprint

Plate Set 28, Published by G. Bell, London, 1885

First Page of Text in the 1889 G. Bell Reprint

Plate Set 29, Published by Ward, Lock, & Co., London, 1885

First Page of Text in the [1885] Ward, Lock &amp; Co. &quot;Home Treasure Library Complete ed.&quot; Reprint, Version 1<br /><br />

Plate Set 30, Published by W. Nicholson & Sons, London, 1887

First Page of Text in the [1887] W. Nicholson &amp; Sons Reprint, Version 1

Plate Set 31, First Published by J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, 1892

Illustration on Page 9 of the 1892 J.B. Lippincott Co. &quot;New Edition&quot; Reprint Depicting Mamma as an Angel

Plate Set 32, First Published by Walter Scott, Ltd., London, 1893

First Page of Text in the [1893] Walter Scott, Ltd. &quot;Emerald Library&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 33, First Published by R. E. King & Co. Ltd., London, 1894

First Page of Text of the [1908] R. E. King &amp; Co Ltd Edition

Plate Set 34, First Published by William L. Allison Co., New York, 1894

First Page of Text in the [1894] William L. Allison Co. &quot;Allison&#039;s Standard Library&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 35, First Published by D.H. & Co., Chicago, July 1894

First Page of Text of the [1894] D. H. &amp; Co. Reprint

Plate Set 36, First Published by S.W. Partridge & Co., London, 1896

First Page of Text in the [1896] S. W. Partridge &amp; Co. &quot;Marigold Series&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 37, First Published by Bliss, Sands, & Co., London, 1897

First Page of Text in the [1897] Bliss, Sands &amp; Co. Reprint

Plate Set 38, Published by Keen, Robinson, & Co., Ltd., London, 1898

Plate Set 39, First Published by W.B. Conkey, London, 1900

First Page of Text in the [1900] W.B. Conkey Reprint

Plate Set 40, Published by Hurst & Co., New York, 1900

First Page of Text in the [1900] Hurst &amp; Co. Reprint, Version 1

Plate Set 41, First Published by C. Arthur Pearson, London, November 24, 1900

First Page of Text in the [1907] Grosset &amp; Dunlap Reprint, Version 4

Plate Set 42, Published by Ward, Lock, & Co., London, 1902

First Page of Text in the [1902] Ward, Lock, &amp; Co., Ltd. &quot;Complete Edition&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 43, Published by T. Nelson & Sons, London, 1903

First Page of Text of the 1893 T. Nelson &amp; Sons Reprint

Plate Set 44, Published by Collins' Clear-Type Press, London & Glasgow, 1907

First Page of Text in the [1907] Collins&#039; Clear-Type Press Reprint

Plate Set 45, Published by Thomas Nelson & Sons , Ltd., London, 1918

Illustration on Page 1f of the [1918] Thomas Nelson &amp; Sons, Ltd. Abridged Reprint Depicting Ellen

Plate Set 46, Published by Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, London, 1918

First Page of Text in the [1918] Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press &quot;Herbert Strang&#039;s Library&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 47, Published by T. Nelsons and Sons, London, 1922

First Page of Text of the [1922] T. Nelson &amp; Sons &quot;The Nelson Classics&quot; Reprint

Plate Set 48, Published by Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd. , London, 1926

First Page of Text in the [1926] Ward, Lock &amp; Co., Ltd. Reprint

Plate Set 49, Published by University of London Press, Ltd., London , 1950

First Page of Text in the [1950] University of London Press, Ltd. Abridged Reprint

Plate Set 50, Published by B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, 1955

First Page of Text in the 1955 WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Reprint