# Is "Bridget Jones's Diary" by Helen Fielding a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (Picador, 1996) is identified by: UK first edition by Picador, London, 1996, in hardcover (ISBN 0-330-33276-7). The UK Picador hardcover is the true first; the US Viking edition (1998) follows and is a separate, later printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition by Picador, London, 1996, in hardcover (ISBN 0-330-33276-7)
- Identified by the Picador imprint, the full number line ending in 1, and the original UK priced dust jacket
- The founding text of modern 'chick lit.'
- Publisher imprint reads Picador
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Helen Fielding |
| Publisher | Picador |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition by Picador, London, 1996, in hardcover (ISBN 0-330-33276-7) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first edition by Picador, London, 1996, in hardcover (ISBN 0-330-33276-7). Identified by the Picador imprint, the full number line ending in 1, and the original UK priced dust jacket. The founding text of modern 'chick lit.'

## Is this the true first?
The UK Picador hardcover is the true first; the US Viking edition (1998) follows and is a separate, later printing. Collect the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; the trap is mistaking the 1998 US Viking edition for the first. Verify the Picador 1996 hardcover with the number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bridget Jones's Diary* by Helen Fielding a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bridget-joness-diary
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.