# Is "Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science by Richard Dawkins (Bantam Press, 2021) is identified by: UK first printing from Bantam Press (Transworld imprint) with a full descending 10-to-1 number line, the lowest number 1 indicating the first printing, and the priced dust jacket (ISBN 9781787633681). UK true first (Bantam Press, 2021).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first printing from Bantam Press (Transworld imprint) with a full descending 10-to-1 number line, the lowest number 1 indicating the first printing, and the priced dust jacket (ISBN 9781787633681)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first printing from Bantam Press (Transworld imprint) with a full descending 10-to-1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK first printing from Bantam Press (Transworld imprint) with a full descending 10-to-1 number line, the lowest number 1 indicating the first printing, and the priced dust jacket (ISBN 9781787633681).

## Is this the true first?
UK true first (Bantam Press, 2021). The UK edition carries the subtitle 'An electrifying celebration of science writing'; the subtitle 'Reading and Writing Science' is used on the US Pegasus edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/books-do-furnish-a-life-reading-and-writing-science
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.