# Is "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday, 2003) is identified by: First edition, first printing: New York, Doubleday, 2003, 454 pp., black paper boards with black cloth spine lettered in gilt, full-size trim (about 9 the printed price by 6 the printed price inches). New York: Doubleday, 2003 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: New York, Doubleday, 2003, 454 pp., black paper boards with black cloth spine lettered in gilt, full-size trim (about 9 the printed price by 6 the printed price inches)
- The copyright page reads 'April 2003 / First Edition' with the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- The jacket must be priced (US and Canadian prices present at the flap); first-printing jacket flaps show a slightly gold tone where later printings read more silver, and the rear panel carries five blurbs reading top to bottom: DeMille, Cussler, Coben, Crais, Flynn
- The text errors 'Lyon' (p
- 152) and 'skitoma' (p
- 243) appear in the first printing but persist into later printings, so they are corroborating evidence only, never decisive points
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dan Brown |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: New York, Doubleday, 2003, 454 pp., black paper boards with black cloth spine lettered in gilt, full-size… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: New York, Doubleday, 2003, 454 pp., black paper boards with black cloth spine lettered in gilt, full-size trim (about 9 the printed price by 6 the printed price inches). The copyright page reads 'April 2003 / First Edition' with the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The jacket must be priced (US and Canadian prices present at the flap); first-printing jacket flaps show a slightly gold tone where later printings read more silver, and the rear panel carries five blurbs reading top to bottom: DeMille, Cussler, Coben, Crais, Flynn. The text errors 'Lyon' (p. 152) and 'skitoma' (p. 243) appear in the first printing but persist into later printings, so they are corroborating evidence only, never decisive points.

## Is this the true first?
New York: Doubleday, 2003 is the true first edition. The first UK edition (London: Bantam Press, 2003, with different jacket art) followed and is collected separately as the first GB printing. Later 'special illustrated' and anniversary reissues are first-thus traps.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition is a documented and dangerous mimic: it also states 'First Edition' with the same full number line and retains the text errors. Tells: it is about an inch shorter (roughly 8 the printed price inches tall), the jacket carries no price, and it is bound in cheap paper boards without the cloth spine.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Da Vinci Code* by Dan Brown a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-da-vinci-code
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.