# Is "Unseen Academicals" by Terry Pratchett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2009) is identified by: UK Doubleday, published 8 October 2009. Publication was near-simultaneous: the US Harper edition was released 6 October 2009, two days before the UK Doubleday of 8 October.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Discworld 37
- UK Doubleday, published 8 October 2009
- First printing shows the Doubleday countdown number line ending in 1 (2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1) on the copyright page
- A separate numbered, slipcased limited edition of 3,000 copies also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Discworld 37 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Discworld 37. UK Doubleday, published 8 October 2009. First printing shows the Doubleday countdown number line ending in 1 (2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1) on the copyright page. A separate numbered, slipcased limited edition of 3,000 copies also exists.

## Is this the true first?
Publication was near-simultaneous: the US Harper edition was released 6 October 2009, two days before the UK Doubleday of 8 October. The UK Doubleday is the edition collectors of this British author treat as the primary first, but strict date precedence belongs to the US Harper.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show a number line that no longer reaches 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Unseen Academicals* by Terry Pratchett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/unseen-academicals
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.