# Is "The Sweet Smell of Psychosis" by Will Self a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sweet Smell of Psychosis by Will Self (Bloomsbury, 1996) is identified by: First edition of Self's novella, published by Bloomsbury in London in 1996, ISBN 0-7475-3111-0. The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1996 is the true first; a US Grove Press edition (Grove/Atlantic) followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition of Self's novella, published by Bloomsbury in London in 1996, ISBN 0-7475-3111-0
- Illustrated throughout by Martin Rowson and issued in decorated/laminated pictorial boards with no separate dust jacket as issued, so the boards themselves are the finished surface to inspect
- First printing carries the number line ending in 1
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Self |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition of Self's novella, published by Bloomsbury in London in 1996, ISBN 0-7475-3111-0 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition of Self's novella, published by Bloomsbury in London in 1996, ISBN 0-7475-3111-0. Illustrated throughout by Martin Rowson and issued in decorated/laminated pictorial boards with no separate dust jacket as issued, so the boards themselves are the finished surface to inspect. First printing carries the number line ending in 1.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bloomsbury edition of 1996 is the true first; a US Grove Press edition (Grove/Atlantic) followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition known; later impressions would show the lowest digit of the number line higher than 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sweet Smell of Psychosis* by Will Self a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sweet-smell-of-psychosis
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.