Will Self First Editions

• The Quantity Theory of Insanity — 1991 · BloomsburyStory collection; Will Self's debut book. The true first edition is the Bloomsbury paperback original, issued in pictorial wrappers (not a hardcover), with the price printed on the back cover. ISBN 0747510130. UK Bloomsbury (1991) is the true first; it was published as a paperback original. The first hardcover did not appear until the US Atlantic Monthly Press edition (1995). Do not look for a 1991 Bloomsbury hardcover as the first. No book-club edition; later printings note an additional impression.
• Cock and Bull — 1992 · BloomsburyTwo novellas; first edition hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket; 224 pp; ISBN 0747512744. The first Bloomsbury printing carries a full number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, with the printed price present on the jacket. UK Bloomsbury (1992) precedes the US Atlantic Monthly Press edition (1993). Later impressions are stated on the copyright page and lack the complete 10-to-1 number line.
• My Idea of Fun — 1993 · BloomsburySelf's first novel (subtitled A Cautionary Tale). London: Bloomsbury, 1993, ISBN 0747515913. Octavo, 309 pages, in black boards with gilt titling to the spine and black endpapers, in the pictorial dust jacket which should retain its printed price. A first impression carries a complete number line ending in 1. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1993 is the true first, preceding the US Atlantic Monthly Press edition of 1994. Later impressions add an impression statement or drop the 1 from the number line.
• Grey Area and Other Stories — 1994 · BloomsburySelf's second story collection. The Bloomsbury first was issued as an original in spiral/ring-bound pictorial card boards with no separate dust jacket as issued; number line ending in 1. Note: hardcover cloth copies with a tan-and-black illustrated jacket also circulate, so confirm the binding before describing. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1994 is the true first, preceding the US Atlantic Monthly Press (Grove/Atlantic) edition of 1996. Later impressions add an impression statement; the standard Bloomsbury cloth/jacket format should not be assumed for the first issue.
• The Sweet Smell of Psychosis — 1996 · BloomsburyFirst edition of Self's novella, published by Bloomsbury in London in 1996, ISBN 0-7475-3111-0. Illustrated throughout by Martin Rowson and issued in decorated/laminated pictorial boards with no separate dust jacket as issued, so the boards themselves are the finished surface to inspect. First printing carries the number line ending in 1. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1996 is the true first; a US Grove Press edition (Grove/Atlantic) followed. No book-club edition known; later impressions would show the lowest digit of the number line higher than 1.
• Great Apes — 1997 · BloomsburyFirst Bloomsbury edition, bound in black cloth with the title stamped in gilt on the spine; collation xii, 404 pages. Issued in a priced dust jacket, unclipped with the printed price intact on the flap. Signed copies are signed by the author on the title page. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1997 is the true first, preceding the US Grove Press edition (also 1997). Later impressions add an impression statement or drop the 1 from the number line.
• Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys — 1998 · BloomsburyStory collection, first published in hardback April 1998 by Bloomsbury, London. Publisher's original black paper-covered boards with gilt title and author lettering to the spine, black silk bookmark bound in; 244 pages. Dust jacket designed by William Webb, with the printed price present on the jacket flap. The key first-issue text point is the printer's number row on the colophon page: the true first shows a…. The UK Bloomsbury edition of April 1998 is the true first, preceding the US Grove Press edition of 1999. No book-club issue of note. Later impressions are identified by the doubled '1' in the number row and by an added impression statement.
• How the Dead Live — 2000 · BloomsburyBlack cloth lettered in silver to the spine; pictorial/illustrated endpapers; full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Photographic dust jacket designed by Michael Wildsmith, retaining its printed price on the front flap. 404 pages. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 2000 is the true first, preceding the US Grove Press edition (also 2000). Later impressions add an impression statement or drop the 1 from the number line.
• Dorian: An Imitation — 2002 · VikingFirst edition, first printing, published by Viking in London in 2002, ISBN 0-670-88996-2 (9780670889969). Issued in hardcover boards with a gilt-lettered spine and a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap. The subtitle An Imitation signals the book's play on Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. As with other Viking/Penguin hardcovers of the period, the first printing carries…. The UK Viking edition of 2002 is the true first. The US Grove Press edition, also dated 2002, is stated as the First American Edition; the two appeared the same year but Viking precedes it. Later printings are identified by the lowest number in the line being higher than 1. No separate UK book-club issue is a factor for the true first.
• Dr. Mukti and Other Tales of Woe — 2004 · BloomsburyBloomsbury, London, published January 2004; story collection in hardcover, boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket, the printed price present on the front flap. First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1. ISBN 0747565317 / 9780747565314. UK Bloomsbury (2004) is the true first; the US edition followed. The Penguin paperback (ISBN 9780141040196) is a later reprint. Later printings can be identified by the lowest number in the line being higher than 1.
• The Book of Dave — 2006 · VikingUK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, 2006, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-670-91443-6). First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price unclipped. UK Viking (2006) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition, published later in 2006. Later printings are identified when the lowest number in the line is higher than 1; the US Bloomsbury USA edition is a separate first US printing, not the true first.
• Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes — 2008 · VikingViking (Penguin), London, 2008; story collection in hardcover, boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket, the printed price present on the front flap. First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1. UK ISBN 9780670889976. UK Viking (2008) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition (2009, ISBN 9781596916647); a later Grove Press US paperback also exists. Later printings can be identified by the lowest number in the line being higher than 1.
• The Butt: An Exit Strategy — 2008 · BloomsburyUK Bloomsbury (London) hardcover, 2008, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-7475-9175-X / 978-0-7475-9175-7). First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price unclipped. UK Bloomsbury (London) first, published April 2008, is the true first; the US Bloomsbury USA edition (ISBN 978-1-59691-555-8) followed in September 2008. Later printings are identified when the lowest number in the line is higher than 1; the US Bloomsbury USA issue is a separate later printing, not the true first.
• Walking to Hollywood — 2010 · BloomsburyFirst UK edition, Bloomsbury, London, 2010. Issued as a hardback in pictorial (illustrated) boards with NO dust jacket issued, so a jacketless copy in this state is correct and complete rather than deficient. First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. UK Bloomsbury (2010) is the true first and precedes the US Grove Press edition (2011). Later printings are identified by the lowest number in the copyright-page line being higher than 1.
• Umbrella — 2012 · BloomsburyFirst edition, first printing: octavo of roughly 397 pages, issued in pictorial/illustrated paper-covered boards with no dust jacket, as issued by the publisher (there is no wrapper to look for on this title). The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1, confirming the first impression. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2012. The UK Bloomsbury (London) hardcover, published 16 August 2012, is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2013. Later printings drop the terminal 1 from the number line and/or state the impression on the copyright page. Because the book was issued in boards without a jacket, the absence of a dust jacket is not a defect on this title.
• Shark — 2014 · VikingThe UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, London, 2014 (ISBN 978-0-670-91857-7). Bound in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; the price-printed dust jacket should retain its printed price (clipped or not does not affect the printing point). The UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover (2014) is the true first; the US Grove Press edition (ISBN 978-0-8021-2417-3) followed in November 2014. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line and/or state the impression.
• Phone — 2017 · VikingHardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; price-printed dust jacket not clipped. Concludes the Umbrella/Shark/Phone trilogy. The UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover (2017) is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2018. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line and/or state the impression.

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