# Is "Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science by Richard Dawkins (Bantam Press, 2015) 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. UK true first (Bantam Press, September 2015), preceding the US Ecco/HarperCollins edition, which followed later in September 2015.

**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
- Second volume of Dawkins's memoir (ISBN 9780593072554)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 2015 |
| 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. Second volume of Dawkins's memoir (ISBN 9780593072554).

## Is this the true first?
UK true first (Bantam Press, September 2015), preceding the US Ecco/HarperCollins edition, which followed later in September 2015.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/brief-candle-in-the-dark-my-life-in-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.