# Is "The Book of Dave" by Will Self a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Book of Dave by Will Self (Viking, 2006) is identified by: UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, 2006, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-670-91443-6). UK Viking (2006) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition, published later in 2006.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, 2006, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-670-91443-6)
- First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Self |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, 2006, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-670-91443-6) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Viking (Penguin) hardcover, 2006, in boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket (ISBN 0-670-91443-6). First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
UK Viking (2006) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition, published later in 2006.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified when the lowest number in the line is higher than 1; the US Bloomsbury USA edition is a separate first US printing, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Book of Dave* by Will Self a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-book-of-dave
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.