The Quantity Theory of Morality
together with Five Supporting Propositions and an Epilogue
5 March 2026
A 2026 state-of-the-nation satire in which Will Self consciously returns to the title and concerns of his 1991 debut The Quantity Theory of Insanity, creating a late-career dialogue with the work that established him. This TMR copy is signed via an affixed bookplate.
Read the catalogue note →- Creator
- Will Self
- Publisher
- Grove Press UK
- Edition / printing
- First UK edition, third impression — printer's key 3 5 7 9 8 6 4
- Country
- UK
- Language
- English
- ISBN-13
- 978-1-80471-122-4
- Format
- Hardback with printed dust jacket; signed bookplate affixed to title page
- Condition
- Near Fine — provisional from supplied front, rear, title-page and copyright-page views; only minor jacket edge/corner handling visible.
- Completeness
- Hardback with original dust jacket and signed Will Self bookplate present; no missing component identified in supplied views.
Catalogue note
A signed contemporary object by a major British satirist, published 35 years after and explicitly framed as a sequel to The Quantity Theory of Insanity. Its archival value lies in literary and cultural context rather than rarity.
Credit / attribution note: Signed by Will Self on a publisher-branded bookplate affixed to the title page.
Edition / bibliographic note: Copyright page states first publication in Great Britain in 2026 by Grove Press UK. Printer's key reads 3 5 7 9 8 6 4; lowest surviving number 3 identifies the third impression.
Condition note: Jacket, boards and sampled interior appear clean and well preserved. Minor handling is visible at jacket edges/corners; no major tear, crease, staining or paper loss is visible in supplied views.
Preserved discrepancies / uncertainties: No limitation statement for the signed-bookplate copies is visible or otherwise verified; the autograph is recorded without treating this copy as numerically limited.
Research status: Physical edition, printing and signature evidence verified from user-supplied photographs. Publication date, publisher, ISBN and the book's relationship to The Quantity Theory of Insanity were cross-checked against Atlantic Books / Grove Press UK on 15 August 2026.
Why this object matters
The third-impression signed-bookplate copy documents Self's late-career return to the concerns of his debut. Its contemporary satirical value and autograph justify a meaningful place in the archive, without treating the bookplate as a limitation or the impression as a first printing.
Evidence limits: Hardback with original dust jacket and signed Will Self bookplate present; no missing component identified in supplied views.
Score and assessment method
Archive Importance: 7.4 / 10.
This is a curatorial judgement, not a measurement accurate to one tenth or a market valuation. Read the explanation and its evidence limits together.
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Recorded contributions · 1
- Will SelfCreatorCatalogue credit
Creator credit: Will Self Original catalogue credit
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