Matilda

Fantasy Children’s Books

Roald Dahl’s beloved novel Matilda appears here in a scarce first-edition hardback, complete with the original Jonathan Cape dust jacket and Quentin Blake’s exuberant illustrations. Published in 1988, this UK printing launched the telekinetic bookworm into instant classic status and remains a cornerstone title for collectors of children’s fantasy and modern firsts.

The book shows gentle signs of a life well-read: the page edges carry light foxing, a few corners have been thumbed, and the jacket underside and boards bear some mellow spotting. Inside, the pages are clean and free of writing, tears, or loose leaves, and the binding remains satisfyingly tight, so the story can still be read aloud or displayed with confidence.

Housed in its bright dust jacket, this copy is ready to gift to a young reader, grace a shelf of Dahl first editions, or anchor a collection of illustrated bedtime classics. With no inscriptions, ex-library marks, or later-issue points, it offers an authentic slice of late-’80s publishing history for anyone hunting a first-edition Matilda.