James and the Giant Peach (1967)

The first UK edition of James and the Giant Peach was published by George Allen & Unwin in 1967, after the American first. It came in laminated pictorial boards and was issued without a dust jacket, so a jacket is not missing from your copy.

The quickest check is the illustrator. The UK edition is illustrated by Michel Simeon. The American first was illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, so if your copy has Nancy Ekholm Burkert's pictures, it is not the UK edition.

What to check:

• Binding: laminated pictorial boards, with no jacket.
• Illustrations: by Michel Simeon.
• Publisher: George Allen & Unwin, 1967.
• Copyright page: later Allen & Unwin impressions use the same boards, so look for any reprint lines before paying a first edition price.

Because the boards carry the artwork and there is no jacket to protect them, condition is everything. The laminate lifts, cracks and peels, particularly along the spine and at the corners, and children's books are rarely kept clean. A copy with flat, unlifted laminate and sharp corners stands well above the usual run.

Is it a first edition? Strictly, no: the first edition is the American one. Collectors in Britain still prize this as the first UK edition, and we list it that way.

Sources: Jonkers, rarebooks.ie, Lucius Books and John Atkinson Books, with roalddahlfans.com.