# Is "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (Pocket Books, 2000) is identified by: First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May 2000' with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. New York: Pocket Books hardcover, May 2000 is the true first edition and the series high spot for the first Robert Langdon novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May 2000' with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- Binding is quarter red cloth over orange paper-covered boards with spine lettering in gilt, in the unclipped jacket with the price present at the front flap
- The pre-fame first printing was small (reported at about 25,000 copies); some review copies carry a 'coming May 2000' Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books advertising card laid in
- Publisher imprint reads Pocket Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dan Brown |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: New York, Pocket Books, 2000 — the copyright page must state 'First Pocket Books hardcover printing May 2000' with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Binding is quarter red cloth over orange paper-covered boards with spine lettering in gilt, in the unclipped jacket with the price present at the front flap. The pre-fame first printing was small (reported at about 25,000 copies); some review copies carry a 'coming May 2000' Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books advertising card laid in.

## Is this the true first?
New York: Pocket Books hardcover, May 2000 is the true first edition and the series high spot for the first Robert Langdon novel. UK first publication was only the Corgi paperback (Transworld, 2001) — there was no earlier UK hardcover. The 2003 Atria Books hardcover reissue, published after The Da Vinci Code's success, is a first-thus trap frequently misdescribed as a first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club points are documented in the sources consulted. The chief hazards are the 2003 Atria hardcover reissue and later Pocket printings with truncated number lines — the May 2000 printing statement plus the complete 10-to-1 number line must both be present.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Angels & Demons* by Dan Brown a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/angels-demons
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.