# Is "The Extended Phenotype: The Gene as the Unit of Selection" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Extended Phenotype: The Gene as the Unit of Selection by Richard Dawkins (W. H. Freeman and Company, 1982) is identified by: Freeman and Company, 1982; hardcover, 307 pages, with the imprint statement reading Oxford and San Francisco. True first is the 1982 W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W. H. Freeman and Company, 1982; hardcover, 307 pages, with the imprint statement reading Oxford and San Francisco
- First edition, no later-printing or revised statement; priced dust jacket
- ISBN 0716713586
- Publisher imprint reads W. H. Freeman and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | W. H. Freeman and Company |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W. H. Freeman and Company, 1982; hardcover, 307 pages, with the imprint statement reading… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
W. H. Freeman and Company, 1982; hardcover, 307 pages, with the imprint statement reading Oxford and San Francisco. First edition, no later-printing or revised statement; priced dust jacket. ISBN 0716713586.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1982 W. H. Freeman and Company hardcover (imprint dated Oxford and San Francisco). Oxford University Press issued only the 1983 paperback, and OUP later published the 1999 revised edition with the subtitle The Long Reach of the Gene. The original record's 'UK true first (Freeman/Oxford)' framing overstated Oxford University Press's role.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No BCE.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Extended Phenotype: The Gene as the Unit of Selection* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-extended-phenotype-the-gene-as-the-unit-of-selection
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.