# Is "The Double Helix" by James D. Watson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Double Helix by James D. Watson (Atheneum, 1968) is identified by: Atheneum, New York, 1968. US Atheneum 1968 is the true first, preceding the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition (1968).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum, New York, 1968
- The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page
- First-state dust jacket is priced on the front flap and carries a photograph of the author in Paris with review excerpts on the rear panel
- Harvard University Press had originally contracted the book and then withdrew it before publication, so the Atheneum issue is the first trade edition
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James D. Watson |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Atheneum, New York, 1968 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Atheneum, New York, 1968. The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page. First-state dust jacket is priced on the front flap and carries a photograph of the author in Paris with review excerpts on the rear panel. Harvard University Press had originally contracted the book and then withdrew it before publication, so the Atheneum issue is the first trade edition.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum 1968 is the true first, preceding the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition (1968). Watson's controversial memoir; signed copies are sought. Note the earlier suppressed Harvard University Press version was never published, so Atheneum is the first published edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club issue exists with an unclipped jacket lacking the price and without the First Edition statement; later printings drop the First Edition line. Confirm the stated First Edition and the priced first-state jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Double Helix* by James D. Watson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-double-helix
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.