# Is "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (Bantam Spectra, 1998) is identified by: First Bantam Spectra hardcover, 1998. The US Bantam Spectra 1998 hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Bantam Spectra hardcover, 1998
- The full title as it appears is 'To Say Nothing of the Dog, or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last.' Identify the first printing by the complete number line reading 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 on the copyright page; the presence of the 1 at the start of the line is the point, and later printings drop the lower numbers
- First-state trade jacket carries its original printed front-flap price (present and unclipped on a true first-issue example, though the printed price may sometimes be professionally clipped without affecting edition status)
- The book won the Hugo and Locus Awards and was a Nebula nominee, so the trade first is often found signed
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Connie Willis |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Bantam Spectra hardcover, 1998 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Bantam Spectra hardcover, 1998. The full title as it appears is 'To Say Nothing of the Dog, or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last.' Identify the first printing by the complete number line reading 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 on the copyright page; the presence of the 1 at the start of the line is the point, and later printings drop the lower numbers. First-state trade jacket carries its original printed front-flap price (present and unclipped on a true first-issue example, though the printed price may sometimes be professionally clipped without affecting edition status). The book won the Hugo and Locus Awards and was a Nebula nominee, so the trade first is often found signed.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra 1998 hardcover is the true first. The UK New English Library edition (1999) is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition is a separate book-club issue: it typically carries a blind-stamped mark on the rear board, lacks the printed price on the jacket flap, and uses lighter, thinner boards. Confirm the intact number line down to 1 and the priced trade jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *To Say Nothing of the Dog* by Connie Willis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/to-say-nothing-of-the-dog
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.