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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Minpins by Roald Dahl (Jonathan Cape, 1991) is identified by: UK Jonathan Cape first, first impression, 1991, quarto, in publisher's illustrated boards with a pictorial first-issue dust jacket carrying the original UK price. UK Jonathan Cape edition is the true first; posthumous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Jonathan Cape first, first impression, 1991, quarto, in publisher's illustrated boards with a pictorial first-issue dust jacket carrying the original UK price
- Illustrated by Patrick Benson, not Quentin Blake
- Published posthumously
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK Jonathan Cape first, first impression, 1991, quarto, in publisher's illustrated boards… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Jonathan Cape first, first impression, 1991, quarto, in publisher's illustrated boards with a pictorial first-issue dust jacket carrying the original UK price. Illustrated by Patrick Benson, not Quentin Blake. Published posthumously.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape edition is the true first; posthumous. Dahl's last children's story.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later and club printings lack the first-issue priced jacket.

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