# Is "A Universal History of Infamy" by Jorge Luis Borges (trans. Norman Thomas di Giovanni) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Universal History of Infamy by Jorge Luis Borges (trans. Norman Thomas di Giovanni) (E. P. Dutton, New York, 1972) is identified by: First edition in English, cloth in dust jacket, 1972, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni. True first of the work is the Spanish Historia universal de la infamia (Editorial Tor, Buenos Aires, 1935), revised by Borges in 1954.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in English, cloth in dust jacket, 1972, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni
- Renders the Spanish Historia universal de la infamia; the di Giovanni text follows Borges's 1954 revised Spanish version, so it includes material added after the 1935 original
- Publisher imprint reads E. P. Dutton, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jorge Luis Borges (trans. Norman Thomas di Giovanni) |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton, New York |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in English, cloth in dust jacket, 1972, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in English, cloth in dust jacket, 1972, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni. Renders the Spanish Historia universal de la infamia; the di Giovanni text follows Borges's 1954 revised Spanish version, so it includes material added after the 1935 original.

## Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Spanish Historia universal de la infamia (Editorial Tor, Buenos Aires, 1935), revised by Borges in 1954. The 1972 Dutton is the first English edition; UK Allen Lane/Penguin followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Penguin and later paperbacks are reprints, not the Dutton cloth first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Universal History of Infamy* by Jorge Luis Borges (trans. Norman Thomas di Giovanni) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-universal-history-of-infamy
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.