# Is "Matilda" by Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Matilda by Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) (Jonathan Cape, 1988) is identified by: True first states only 'First published 1988' on the copyright page with no later-printing line; publisher's red cloth with gilt spine lettering, plain endpapers, in an unclipped dust jacket with its printed price to the front flap. UK Jonathan Cape 1988 is the true first; the US Viking edition is a separate, later issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first states only 'First published 1988' on the copyright page with no later-printing line; publisher's red cloth with gilt spine lettering, plain endpapers, in an unclipped dust jacket with its printed price to the front flap
- Quentin Blake ink-and-wash drawings throughout
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first states only 'First published 1988' on the copyright page with no later-printing line; publisher's red cloth with gilt spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first states only 'First published 1988' on the copyright page with no later-printing line; publisher's red cloth with gilt spine lettering, plain endpapers, in an unclipped dust jacket with its printed price to the front flap. Quentin Blake ink-and-wash drawings throughout.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape 1988 is the true first; the US Viking edition is a separate, later issue. Export copies may have a price-free jacket flap.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies typically carry a blind-stamp to a board, lack the printed price jacket price, and may add a printing line; the Viking US edition is not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Matilda* by Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/matilda
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.