# Is "Epileptic (L'Ascension du Haut Mal)" by David B. (Pierre-François Beauchard) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Epileptic (L'Ascension du Haut Mal) by David B. (Pierre-François Beauchard) (L'Association, 1996–2004 (France) / 2005 (US single-volume)) is identified by: French original-language true first: 'L'Ascension du Haut Mal,' L'Association, six volumes published 1996–2004. The L'Association multi-volume French edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- French original-language true first: 'L'Ascension du Haut Mal,' L'Association, six volumes published 1996–2004
- First complete English edition: single-volume 'Epileptic,' Pantheon Books, 2005, hardcover in jacket, translated by Kim Thompson, ISBN 978-0-375-42318-5
- The Pantheon volume gathers all six French volumes for the first time in English
- Correct publisher/imprint: L'Association

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David B. (Pierre-François Beauchard) |
| Publisher | L'Association |
| Year | 1996–2004 (France) / 2005 (US single-volume) |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | French original-language true first: 'L'Ascension du Haut Mal,' L'Association, six volumes published 1996–2004 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
French original-language true first: 'L'Ascension du Haut Mal,' L'Association, six volumes published 1996–2004. First complete English edition: single-volume 'Epileptic,' Pantheon Books, 2005, hardcover in jacket, translated by Kim Thompson, ISBN 978-0-375-42318-5. The Pantheon volume gathers all six French volumes for the first time in English.

## Is this the true first?
The L'Association multi-volume French edition is the true first. The 2005 Pantheon single volume is the first complete English edition ('first thus'). An earlier partial English edition, 'Epileptic 1' (Book One only), was issued in softcover by Fantagraphics in 2002 and so precedes the Pantheon volume for that portion of the text; Pantheon is the first complete-in-English appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Verify L'Association (French serial) versus Pantheon 2005 (first complete English). Be aware of the earlier Fantagraphics 2002 Book One when describing English precedence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Epileptic (L'Ascension du Haut Mal)* by David B. (Pierre-François Beauchard) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/epileptic-lascension-du-haut-mal
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.