# Is "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Oxford University Press, 1976) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Oxford University Press, 1976, with no later-printing statements; OUP imprint on title page. The 1976 OUP edition is the true first (Oxford was the publisher for both UK and US).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Oxford University Press, 1976, with no later-printing statements
- OUP imprint on title page
- Original dust jacket (the classic green/Desmond Morris-influenced design)
- First printing precedes the 1989 second edition, which adds extensive new endnotes and two new chapters — collectors want the 1976 text without the added chapters
- Publisher imprint reads Oxford University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Oxford University Press, 1976, with no later-printing statements |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Oxford University Press, 1976, with no later-printing statements; OUP imprint on title page. Original dust jacket (the classic green/Desmond Morris-influenced design). First printing precedes the 1989 second edition, which adds extensive new endnotes and two new chapters — collectors want the 1976 text without the added chapters.

## Is this the true first?
The 1976 OUP edition is the true first (Oxford was the publisher for both UK and US). The 1989 'second edition' is textually distinct and far more common; only the 1976 is the first. Signed first printings are uncommon.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent US book-club edition; the main confusion is between the 1976 first edition and the much more common 1989 expanded second edition and later anniversary editions. Check for the 1976 date and absence of the added chapters/preface.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Selfish Gene* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-selfish-gene
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.