# Is "The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004) is identified by: UK first edition, first printing published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson; co-authored with Yan Wong. UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition is the true first, preceding the US Houghton Mifflin 2004 printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition, first printing published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson; co-authored with Yan Wong
- Priced dust jacket
- Note the UK first-edition subtitle is 'A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life,' not 'Dawn of Evolution.'
- Publisher imprint reads Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition, first printing published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson; co-authored with Yan… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK first edition, first printing published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson; co-authored with Yan Wong. Priced dust jacket. Note the UK first-edition subtitle is 'A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life,' not 'Dawn of Evolution.'

## Is this the true first?
UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition is the true first, preceding the US Houghton Mifflin 2004 printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book club edition confusion for the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ancestors-tale-a-pilgrimage-to-the-dawn-of-evolution
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.