# Is "Phone" by Will Self a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Phone by Will Self (Viking, 2017) is identified by: Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; price-printed dust jacket not clipped. The UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover (2017) is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2018.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; price-printed dust jacket not clipped
- Concludes the Umbrella/Shark/Phone trilogy
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Self |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; price-printed dust jacket not clipped |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line including 1 on the copyright page; price-printed dust jacket not clipped. Concludes the Umbrella/Shark/Phone trilogy.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover (2017) is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2018.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 1 from the number line and/or state the impression.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Phone* by Will Self a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/phone
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.