# Is "Someone Like You" by Roald Dahl a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Someone Like You by Roald Dahl (Alfred A. Knopf, 1953) is identified by: Knopf, New York, 1953. The US Knopf edition (1953) precedes the UK Secker & Warburg edition (1954).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1953
- Bound in cream cloth, the spine and front cover lettered in black on a purple ground, with the top edge stained light purple and the fore-edge untrimmed
- The Knopf first carries a 'First Edition' statement with the Borzoi device and no later-printing notation; the first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roald Dahl |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1953 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1953. Bound in cream cloth, the spine and front cover lettered in black on a purple ground, with the top edge stained light purple and the fore-edge untrimmed. The Knopf first carries a 'First Edition' statement with the Borzoi device and no later-printing notation; the first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed flap price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf edition (1953) precedes the UK Secker & Warburg edition (1954). The Secker & Warburg issue omitted two stories ('The Neck' and 'The Great Automatic Grammatisator') present in the Knopf edition. Adult short stories.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the 'First Edition' statement and the printed flap price, and typically substitute plainer boards for the purple-and-black cream cloth.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Someone Like You* by Roald Dahl a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/someone-like-you
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.