# Is "Umbrella" by Will Self a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Umbrella by Will Self (Bloomsbury, 2012) is identified by: First edition, first printing: octavo of roughly 397 pages, issued in pictorial/illustrated paper-covered boards with no dust jacket, as issued by the publisher (there is no wrapper to look for on this title). The UK Bloomsbury (London) hardcover, published 16 August 2012, is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2013.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: octavo of roughly 397 pages, issued in pictorial/illustrated paper-covered boards with no dust jacket, as issued by the publisher (there is no wrapper to look for on this title)
- The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1, confirming the first impression
- Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2012
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Will Self |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: octavo of roughly 397 pages, issued in pictorial/illustrated paper-covered boards with no dust jacket, as… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: octavo of roughly 397 pages, issued in pictorial/illustrated paper-covered boards with no dust jacket, as issued by the publisher (there is no wrapper to look for on this title). The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1, confirming the first impression. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2012.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bloomsbury (London) hardcover, published 16 August 2012, is the true first; the US Grove Press edition followed in 2013.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the terminal 1 from the number line and/or state the impression on the copyright page. Because the book was issued in boards without a jacket, the absence of a dust jacket is not a defect on this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Umbrella* by Will Self a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/umbrella
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.