# Is "The Gremlins" by Roald Dahl a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gremlins by Roald Dahl (Random House, 1943) is identified by: Full title reads 'Walt Disney: The Gremlins, A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl,' illustrated by the Staff of the Walt Disney Productions. Dahl's first book and first children's title; the US Random House / Disney edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Full title reads 'Walt Disney: The Gremlins, A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl,' illustrated by the Staff of the Walt Disney Productions
- First edition carries a single 'First edition' statement on the copyright page and a first-issue jacket bearing the original price on the front flap
- Quarto in pictorial boards / half cloth with color plates and pictorial endpapers
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Full title reads 'Walt Disney: The Gremlins, A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Full title reads 'Walt Disney: The Gremlins, A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl,' illustrated by the Staff of the Walt Disney Productions. First edition carries a single 'First edition' statement on the copyright page and a first-issue jacket bearing the original price on the front flap. Quarto in pictorial boards / half cloth with color plates and pictorial endpapers.

## Is this the true first?
Dahl's first book and first children's title; the US Random House / Disney edition is the true first. A UK issue (Collins) followed. Illustrations are credited to the Walt Disney studio staff rather than to Walt Disney personally.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later facsimile reprints (for example the 2006 Dark Horse edition) are clearly marked and modern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gremlins* by Roald Dahl a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gremlins
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.