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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The BFG by Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) (Jonathan Cape, 1982) is identified by: True first states 'First published 1982' with no additional printing line on the copyright page; publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering and plain endpapers, in the first-issue Quentin Blake pictorial jacket with the original printed UK price (the printed price) to the front flap. UK Jonathan Cape 1982 is the true first; the US Farrar, Straus & Giroux edition is a later, separate issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first states 'First published 1982' with no additional printing line on the copyright page; publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering and plain endpapers, in the first-issue Quentin Blake pictorial jacket with the original printed UK price (the printed price) to the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl (illus. Quentin Blake) |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first states 'First published 1982' with no additional printing line on the copyright page; publisher's boards with gilt spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first states 'First published 1982' with no additional printing line on the copyright page; publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering and plain endpapers, in the first-issue Quentin Blake pictorial jacket with the original printed UK price (the printed price) to the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape 1982 is the true first; the US Farrar, Straus & Giroux edition is a later, separate issue. Quentin Blake illustrates throughout.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Club editions typically bear a blind-stamp and lack the printed jacket price, and later printings state a reprint date; the FSG US edition is not the true first.

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