# Is "The Quantity Theory of Insanity" by Will Self a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Quantity Theory of Insanity by Will Self (Bloomsbury, 1991) is identified by: Story collection; Will Self's debut book. UK Bloomsbury (1991) is the true first; it was published as a paperback original.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Will Self's debut book
- The true first edition is the Bloomsbury paperback original, issued in pictorial wrappers (not a hardcover), with the price printed on the back cover
- ISBN 0747510130
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Self |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Will Self's debut book |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Story collection; Will Self's debut book. The true first edition is the Bloomsbury paperback original, issued in pictorial wrappers (not a hardcover), with the price printed on the back cover. ISBN 0747510130.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bloomsbury (1991) is the true first; it was published as a paperback original. The first hardcover did not appear until the US Atlantic Monthly Press edition (1995). Do not look for a 1991 Bloomsbury hardcover as the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings note an additional impression.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Quantity Theory of Insanity* by Will Self a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-quantity-theory-of-insanity
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.