# Is "The Magic Finger" by Roald Dahl a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl (Harper & Row, 1966) is identified by: The words 'first edition' do NOT appear on the copyright page, so identification relies on the dust jacket: the first-issue wrapper carries the original lower price on the front flap, while later issues show a slightly higher flap price. The US Harper & Row edition (1966) precedes the UK Allen & Unwin edition (1968); both use the du Bois illustrations.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The words 'first edition' do NOT appear on the copyright page, so identification relies on the dust jacket: the first-issue wrapper carries the original lower price on the front flap, while later issues show a slightly higher flap price
- Illustrated by William Pene du Bois
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The words 'first edition' do NOT appear on the copyright page, so identification relies… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The words 'first edition' do NOT appear on the copyright page, so identification relies on the dust jacket: the first-issue wrapper carries the original lower price on the front flap, while later issues show a slightly higher flap price. Illustrated by William Pene du Bois.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row edition (1966) precedes the UK Allen & Unwin edition (1968); both use the du Bois illustrations. The UK issue was published without a dust wrapper and states 'first published in Great Britain in 1968.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the first-issue flap price and jacket points.

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