# Is "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution" by Richard Dawkins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins (Bantam Press, 2009) is identified by: UK first edition, first impression, Bantam Press, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-593-06173-2, bound in black cloth boards in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap). UK Bantam Press edition is the true first, preceding the US Free Press 2009 printing (published September 2009).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition, first impression, Bantam Press, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-593-06173-2, bound in black cloth boards in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap)
- A first printing shows a complete number line on the copyright page
- Illustrated with color plates and line drawings
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Dawkins |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition, first impression, Bantam Press, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-593-06173-2, bound in black cloth boards in a priced dust jacket… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first edition, first impression, Bantam Press, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-593-06173-2, bound in black cloth boards in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap). A first printing shows a complete number line on the copyright page. Illustrated with color plates and line drawings.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bantam Press edition is the true first, preceding the US Free Press 2009 printing (published September 2009).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book club edition confusion for the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution* by Richard Dawkins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-greatest-show-on-earth-the-evidence-for-evolution
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.