Roald Dahl
Hans van Dijk for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · licence

DAHL, ROALD, 1916 to 1990

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a British writer of Norwegian parentage, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG and Matilda.

Books
44
Editions tracked
65
First editions
36
Nationality
Norway, United Kingdom
Born
Llandaff, 1916
Died
Oxford, 1990

Official websiteWikidataOpen LibrarySearch within Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl wrote 44 books we track between 1943 and 2010; in publication order they begin with The Gremlins (1943).

Life

About Roald Dahl

Writer

Known as
screenwriter, novelist, autobiographer, poet
Genres
horror literature, mysticism, fantasy, children's literature
Citizenship
Norway, United Kingdom

Background

Educated at
Repton School, The Cathedral School, Weston-super-Mare
Influenced by
Charles Dickens, C. S. Forester, Frederick Marryat, Jonas Lie, William Makepeace Thackeray
Buried
Great Missenden

Awards and honours

  • Edgar Awards (1954)
  • Zilveren Griffel (1984)
  • World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1983)
  • Golden Paintbrush (1979)
  • De Kinderjury (1989)
  • De Kinderjury (1991)
  • De Kinderjury (1993)
  • Edgar Awards (1960)

Notable works

From Wikidata (CC0); Wikipedia has articles on Roald Dahl in 88 languages.

About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a British writer, born in Wales to Norwegian parents, whose children's books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG and Matilda sit alongside a substantial body of short stories for adults.

He was born on 13 September 1916 in Llandaff, Cardiff, the son of the Norwegian shipbroker Harald Dahl and Sofie Hesselberg, and died in Oxford on 23 November 1990. From 1939 to 1946 he served in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot and later an intelligence officer, leaving as a squadron leader. His first book, The Gremlins (1943), drew on RAF folklore.

His adult fiction began with Over to You (Hamish Hamilton, 1946), followed by Someone Like You (1953) and Kiss Kiss (1960), both published by Alfred A. Knopf; his stories were adapted for ITV as Tales of the Unexpected (1979 to 1988). For children he wrote James and the Giant Peach (Knopf, 1961), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Knopf, 1964), Fantastic Mr Fox (George Allen & Unwin, 1970), The BFG (Jonathan Cape, 1982) and Matilda (Jonathan Cape, 1988). Quentin Blake illustrated The BFG and Matilda, and Matilda alone has sold some 17 million copies.

For collectors. His two most famous early children's books were first published in New York, not London: James and the Giant Peach by Knopf on 17 July 1961, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Knopf on 17 January 1964, illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. The first printing of Charlie carries the original description and drawings of the Oompa-Loompas, which Dahl revised in a 1973 text. Fantastic Mr Fox first appeared from George Allen & Unwin in 1970 with Donald Chaffin's illustrations, while The BFG and Matilda were first published by Jonathan Cape with Blake's pictures.

Collecting guideRoald Dahl First Editions: How to Identify and Value ThemMost of Roald Dahl's early children's books were published first in America by Knopf, years before the UK editions, so the true first of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the 1964 … Collecting guideThe Most Valuable First Editions to Look For at HomeThe first editions most often found in ordinary homes and worth real money are modern classics in their original dust jackets: the 1997 Bloomsbury Philosopher's Stone, Casino Royale, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Hobbit …
For collectors

Collect Roald Dahl

Earliest first editionThe GremlinsRandom House, 1943 Most valuableCharlie and the Chocolate Factory£605 to £975
First published by
Reading guide

Roald Dahl books in order

In publication order

  1. 1The Gremlins1943
  2. 2Over to You1946
  3. 3Someone Like You1953
  4. 4Kiss Kiss1960
  5. 5James and the Giant Peach1961
  6. 6Charlie and the Chocolate Factory1964
  7. 7The Magic Finger1966
  8. 8Fantastic Mr Fox1970
  9. 9Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator1972
  10. 10Switch Bitch1974
  11. 11Danny, The Champion of the World1975
  12. 12The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More1977
Show all 44 books in order
  1. 13The Best of Roald Dahl1978
  2. 14The Enormous Crocodile1978
  3. 15My Uncle Oswald1979
  4. 16Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected1979
  5. 17Tales of the Unexpected1979
  6. 18A Roald Dahl Selection1980
  7. 19The Twits1980
  8. 20George's Marvelous Medicine1981
  9. 21Revolting Rhymes1982
  10. 22The BFG1982
  11. 23Dirty Beasts1983
  12. 24Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories1983
  13. 25The Witches1983
  14. 26Boy1984
  15. 27The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me1985
  16. 28Going Solo1986
  17. 29The Roald Dahl Omnibus1986
  18. 30Matilda1988
  19. 31Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life1989
  20. 32Rhyme Stew1989
  21. 33Esio Trot1990
  22. 34The Minpins1991
  23. 35The Vicar of Nibbleswicke1991
  24. 36My Year1993
  25. 37Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes1994
  26. 38The Great Automatic Grammatizator1996
  27. 39Roald Dahl Treasury1997
  28. 40Skin and Other Stories2000
  29. 41Collected Short Stories2006
  30. 42Uncertain Endings2006
  31. 43Spotty Powder and Other Splendiferous Secrets2010
  32. 44The Missing Golden Ticket and Other Splendiferous Secrets2010
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1943The GremlinsRandom House
  2. 1946Over to YouReynal & Hitchcock
  3. 1953Someone Like YouKnopf
  4. 1960Kiss KissJoseph
  5. 1961James and the Giant PeachAlfred A. Knopf
  6. 1964Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryAlfred A. Knopf · £605 to £975
  7. 1966The Magic FingerHarper & Row
  8. 1972Charlie and the Great Glass ElevatorKnopf
  9. 1974Switch BitchJoseph
  10. 1977The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six MoreJonathan Cape
  11. 1978The Enormous CrocodileJonathan Cape
  12. 1978The Best of Roald DahlVintage Books
  13. 1979My Uncle OswaldJoseph
  14. 1979Tales of the UnexpectedPenguin Books
  15. 1980The TwitsJonathan Cape
  16. 1980A Roald Dahl SelectionAddison Wesley Logman
  17. 1981George's Marvellous MedicineJonathan Cape
  18. 1982The BFGJonathan Cape
  19. 1982Roald Dahl's Revolting RhymesJonathan Cape
  20. 1983The WitchesJonathan Cape
  21. 1983Dirty BeastsJonathan Cape
  22. 1983Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost StoriesJonathan Cape
  23. 1985The Giraffe and the Pelly and MeJonathan Cape
  24. 1986Going SoloJonathan Cape
  25. 1988MatildaJonathan Cape
  26. 1989Rhyme StewJonathan Cape
  27. 1989Ah, Sweet Mystery of LifeKnopf, 1989
  28. 1990Esio TrotJonathan Cape
  29. 1991The MinpinsJonathan Cape Children's Books (Random Century Group)
  30. 1991The Vicar of NibbleswickCentury
  31. 1993My YearJonathan Cape
  32. 1994Roald Dahl's Revolting RecipesJonathan Cape
  33. 1996The Great Automatic GrammatizatorViking
  34. 1997Roald Dahl TreasuryJonathan Cape
  35. 2000SkinPuffin
  36. 2010Spotty Powder and Other Splendiferous SecretsPenguin
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl · first published 1964 · Modern First Editions

Worth£605 to £975

Spot the first: Colophon at the back: Six lines of printing details (first printing)

  1. 1st Alfred A. Knopf1964 Hardback £605 to £975Sold £206 · Aug 2026 I own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alfred A. Knopf 1964 Log in to want this
  2. George Allen & Unwin1967 Pictorial boards Sold £308 · Oct 2026 I own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George Allen & Unwin 1967 Log in to want this
Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read Roald Dahl's books in?

In publication order they begin with The Gremlins (1943), then Over to You (1946) and Someone Like You (1953). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was Roald Dahl's first book?

The earliest book we list is The Gremlins, first published in 1943.

When was Roald Dahl born?

Roald Dahl was born in 1916 and died in 1990.

How many Roald Dahl books does MyVolumes track?

We track 44 books by Roald Dahl across 65 editions, 36 of them first editions.

What awards has Roald Dahl won?

Roald Dahl has won Edgar Awards (1954), Zilveren Griffel (1984), World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1983), Golden Paintbrush (1979), according to Wikidata.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

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