José Saramago First Editions

• Baltasar and Blimunda — 1987 · Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New YorkFirst US/first English edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987, cloth in dust jacket, translated by Giovanni Pontiero. This was the first Saramago novel published in English; first printing per HBJ practice. True first is the Portuguese Memorial do convento (Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1982). The 1987 HBJ is the first edition in English; the UK Jonathan Cape edition followed in 1988. First Saramago in English, a key point for a Saramago-in-English run. No notable book-club issue; later Harvest/HBJ paperbacks are reprints. A revised translation also appeared later, so the 1987 HBJ hardcover is the true first English text.
• The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis — 1991 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichUS Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 first edition, translated by Giovanni Pontiero, jacket design by Vaughn Andrews. This US edition is the true first English printing; the UK Harvill edition did not appear until 1992. The first printing is bound in quarter black cloth over mid-blue paper boards, stamped in blue foil to the spine, and the copyright page carries the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich printer's letter code…. First English translation of O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis (Caminho, Lisbon, 1984). The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 edition (ISBN 0151997357) precedes the UK Harvill 1992 edition. No distinctive book-club edition recorded; identify the trade first by the 1991 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich imprint, the printer's letter code ending in A on the copyright page, and the printed jacket price on the front flap.
• The Gospel According to Jesus Christ — 1993 · The Harvill Press, LondonFirst English edition is the UK Harvill Press hardcover, 1993, in dust jacket (ISBN 0-00-271357-8 / 9780002713573), translated by Giovanni Pontiero. The US Harcourt Brace edition followed in 1994. Collectors seeking the first edition in English should take the 1993 Harvill, not the 1994 Harcourt. True first of the work is the Portuguese 'O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo' (Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1991). The first edition in English is the UK Harvill (1993), which precedes the US Harcourt Brace (1994); both use the Pontiero translation. The 1994 US Harcourt Brace edition and the later Harvest in Translation paperbacks are not the 1993 UK first English.
• The Stone Raft — 1994 · Harcourt BraceUK Harvill first edition, London, 1994, ISBN 0002713217 (9780002713214), translated by Giovanni Pontiero, is the true first English edition. Bound in gray boards with a gray cloth spine stamped in black, in a pictorial first-issue dust jacket that carries the printed price on the flap (present and unclipped on a true first-issue jacket). The US Harcourt Brace edition followed in 1995. First English translation of A Jangada de Pedra (1986). The UK Harvill 1994 edition (ISBN 0002713217) precedes the US Harcourt Brace 1995 edition. No notable book-club edition recorded. Distinguish the Harvill 1994 first from the 1995 US Harcourt Brace edition by imprint, date, and the pictorial priced first-issue jacket.
• Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira) — 1995 · Editorial CaminhoPortuguese first edition (primeira edição), Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1995, issued brochado in printed paper wrappers, approximately 21 cm, 310 pages, stated as the first edition on the colophon with no higher edition number and no later-edition statement. The Portuguese Caminho edition is the true world-first. The first English edition, 'Blindness' (US Harcourt Brace / UK Harvill, 1997-98, translated by Giovanni Pontiero), is the English-language first thus. Later Caminho printings state a higher edition number (2ª edição and beyond) on the colophon. The English translation is not the world-first; the popular Harvill/Harcourt edition is sometimes mistaken for the first.
• The History of the Siege of Lisbon — 1996 · HarvillThe Harvill Press, London, 1996, first edition, translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero, with the copyright page stating 'First Impression' and no later printings indicated; 312 pages. This is the true first English-language edition; US Harcourt Brace followed in 1997. First English translation of História do Cerco de Lisboa (Lisbon, 1989). The UK Harvill 1996 edition, marked First Impression, precedes the US Harcourt Brace 1997 edition. No notable book-club edition recorded; the US Harcourt Brace 1997 issue is distinguished by its own imprint and dating.
• Blindness — 1997 · The Harvill PressEnglish true first is the 1997 hardcover translated by Giovanni Pontiero and published by The Harvill Press, London (ISBN 1860462979). Confirm the 'First published 1997' statement on the copyright page; Harvill of this period typically used no number line, so rely on the dated statement and imprint. The first American edition is Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1998 (ISBN 0151002517), a year later, identified…. The English true first is The Harvill Press, London, 1997, in the Pontiero translation; the first American edition (Harcourt Brace, New York) is 1998. The Portuguese 'Ensaio sobre a cegueira' (Caminho, Lisbon, 1995) is the true first in any language. No major club edition. Among English printings, Harvill UK 1997 precedes the 1998 Harcourt American first; check the dated Harvill copyright statement and the Harcourt 'ACEFDB' letter line. The absolute true first is the 1995 Caminho Portuguese edition.
• All the Names — 1999 · HarvillUK Harvill Press 1999 first edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa, is the true first English, ISBN 1860466427, 238 pages. The binding has mustard-yellow boards with the spine stamped in gilt and yellow endpapers; the first-issue jacket is glossy and should retain the printed price on the flap (price-clipping alone does not disqualify a first-issue jacket). Costa's translation won the 1999 Oxford-Weidenfeld…. First English translation of Todos os Nomes (1997). The UK Harvill Press 1999 edition (ISBN 1860466427) precedes the US Harcourt 2000 edition (ISBN 0151004218). No notable book-club edition is recorded.
• The Tale of the Unknown Island — 1999 · HarvillThe first English translation was issued in 1999 in two distinct formats: the UK Harvill edition (ISBN 1-86046-690-7) and the US Harcourt Brace hardcover (ISBN 0-15-100595-8). Both were translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa and illustrated by Peter Sís. The Harcourt issue is a jacketed hardcover; on a first-state copy the printed price should be present (unclipped) on the front flap. First English translation of O Conto da Ilha Desconhecida (1997); both the UK Harvill and US Harcourt editions are dated 1999, with the two English-language firsts appearing in the same year in different formats (Harvill and Harcourt hardcover). No notable book-club edition recorded.
• The Cave — 2002 · HarcourtUS Harcourt 2002 first American edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Harcourt trade firsts of this period are identified by a complete letter line beginning with A on the copyright page (not a numeric line), with the edition stated. Both US and UK editions appeared in 2002; relative precedence is not established. First English translation of A Caverna (2000). Both the US Harcourt and UK Harvill editions are dated 2002; which appeared first is not verifiable from available sources. No notable book-club edition recorded.
• The Double — 2004 · HarcourtFirst English-language edition, 2004, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Issued the same year by Harcourt in the US and The Harvill Press in the UK; the two English firsts are near-simultaneous, so neither is established as unambiguously prior. Harcourt firsts of this era state First edition and carry a full descending number line. First edition in English of O Homem Duplicado (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2002). No notable book-club edition.
• Seeing — 2006 · HarcourtFirst English-language edition, 2006, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Issued the same year by Harcourt in the US and Harvill Secker in the UK. Harcourt firsts of this period state First edition on the copyright page with a full number line, but the specific terminal digit for this title is not independently confirmed and should be read from the copy in hand. First edition in English of Ensaio sobre a Lucidez (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2004); a companion to Blindness sharing its setting. No notable book-club edition.
• Death with Interruptions — 2008 · HarcourtFirst English-language edition, 2008, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Issued the US as Death with Interruptions by Harcourt and in the UK as Death at Intervals by Harvill Secker; the two firsts are near-simultaneous. Harcourt first states First edition with a full number line. First edition in English of As Intermitências da Morte (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2005). The UK Harvill Secker printing uses the alternate title Death at Intervals. No notable book-club edition.
• The Elephant's Journey — 2010 · Houghton Mifflin HarcourtFirst English-language edition, 2010, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. US issued by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (the Harcourt imprint after its 2007 merger with Houghton Mifflin); UK by Harvill Secker the same year. HMH first states First edition with a full number line. First edition in English of A Viagem do Elefante (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2008). No notable book-club edition.
• Cain — 2011 · Houghton Mifflin HarcourtFirst English-language edition, 2011, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. US issued by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; UK by Harvill Secker the same year. HMH first states First edition with a full number line. First edition in English of Caim (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2009). Saramago's final novel, completed before his death in 2010. No notable book-club edition.

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