Umberto Eco First Editions

• The Name of the Rose — 1980 · BompianiTrue first is the Italian Il nome della rosa (Bompiani, Milan, 1980), identified by 'I edizione settembre 1980' on the copyright page; issued in full cloth with a pictorial dust jacket reproducing a labyrinth schema, the first-issue jacket priced (price present at the flap/corner; the SIAE first-edition sticker is a further point). First English edition: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1983 (trans. William…. True first is the Italian Bompiani 1980 ('I edizione settembre 1980'). First in English is Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1983 (US), which precedes the first UK, Secker & Warburg, London, 1983 (both 1983; the US edition first). Later Italian printings show successive 'edizione' statements rather than 'I edizione settembre 1980.' On the US first, confirm 'First edition' with the letter line 'BCDE' (A absent) and the HBJ colophon — book-club lookalikes lack this letter line and the priced first-issue jacket. US and UK English firsts are distinguished by imprint (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich vs Secker & Warburg).
• The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) — 1983 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichFirst US edition in English, translated by William Weaver, issued as a Helen and Kurt Wolff Book. The first printing states 'First edition' on the copyright page with the letterline 'B C D E' flush left and the HBJ slug present; the absence of 'A' is the Harcourt first-printing convention. Quarter-bound in cream cloth backstrip over rose (sometimes described as mauve) paper-covered boards, with the title and…. True first in English is the US Harcourt edition of 1983, preceding the UK Secker & Warburg edition of the same year. The Italian original was published by Bompiani in 1980. Copies signed by both Eco and translator Weaver are noted by collectors. Book-club reprints lack the HBJ slug, show a complete letter run, or carry later number lines; book-club copies are typically on cheaper stock with a blind-stamp to the rear board and no jacket price.
• Postscript to The Name of the Rose — 1984 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichFirst US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book'; first printing carries the full descending letter line ending in (or beginning with) 'A'; translated by William Weaver. First English translation of 'Postille a Il nome della rosa'; issued in the UK as 'Reflections on The Name of the Rose' (Secker and Warburg, 1985). No notable BCE.
• Travels in Hyperreality — 1986 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichUS Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1986, first printing, translated by William Weaver. First-issue dust jacket should retain the original printed price on the front flap (the presence of the printed price is the point, not any amount). First-thus English selection under this title. Published in the same year, the UK volume Faith in Fakes (Secker & Warburg, 1986), also in Weaver's translation, is a distinct compilation of overlapping but not identical essays rather than a straight retitling, so the US Travels in Hyperreality stands as its own first edition. A later revised US paperback appeared subsequently and does not affect the standing of…. No notable book club edition.
• Foucault's Pendulum — 1989 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichUS Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1989, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present on the copyright page; translated by William Weaver. The UK first was Secker & Warburg, London, 1989. First English-language edition of Il pendolo di Foucault (Bompiani, Milan, 1988). The US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg editions both appeared in 1989 and are collected as parallel firsts; neither has clear precedence. Book club editions typically lack the letter line and are unpriced, often with a blind-stamped dot to the rear board; the true first is priced with the 'A' letter line present.
• Foucault's Pendulum (Il pendolo di Foucault) — 1989 · Harcourt Brace JovanovichFirst US trade edition in English, translated by William Weaver. The first printing states 'First edition' on the copyright page with the letterline beginning at 'B' ('B C D E'); the 'A' is suppressed, which is the Harcourt first-printing convention. Dust jacket priced to the front flap, unclipped. The US Harcourt edition of 1989 and the UK Secker & Warburg edition of 1989 appeared the same year; the US edition is generally taken as the trade first in English. The Italian original was published by Bompiani in 1988. A book-club edition exists, typically with a blind-stamp to the rear board and no jacket price; distinguish it by the stated 'First edition' letterline and the priced jacket on the trade first.
• The Open Work — 1989 · Harvard University PressHarvard University Press, 1989, first English-language edition; translated by Anna Cancogni, with an introduction by David Robey. Issued in 1989 in both a cloth (hardcover) binding and a paperback; the cloth issue is the hardcover first and carries its own ISBN distinct from the softcover printing. First English-language edition of Opera aperta (Bompiani, Milan, 1962). This Harvard edition was prepared for the English-language audience with Eco's approval. No book club edition.
• The Island of the Day Before — 1995 · Harcourt BraceUS Harcourt Brace 1995, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present; translated by William Weaver. The UK first was Secker & Warburg, London, 1995. First English-language edition of L'isola del giorno prima (Bompiani, 1994). US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg both appeared in 1995 and are collected as parallel firsts. Book club editions lack the letter line and are unpriced; the true first carries the 'A' letter line.
• Kant and the Platypus — 1999 · Harcourt BraceUS Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1999 (ISBN 0-15-100447-1), translated by Alastair McEwen. The first printing is a stated First Edition on the copyright page carrying the full Harcourt descending letter line with the terminal 'A' present (reading down to A). Octavo, roughly 464 pages; the dust jacket bears the platypus cover image and should retain its printed price (present or clipped is immaterial to the…. First English-language edition of Kant e l'ornitorinco (Bompiani, Milan, 1997), which is the true first appearance of the work. No notable book-club edition. Later printings drop the 'A' from the letter line; presence of the terminal 'A' confirms the first printing.
• Baudolino — 2002 · HarcourtUS Harcourt 2002, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present on the copyright page; translated by William Weaver. The UK first was Secker & Warburg, London, 2002. First English-language edition of Baudolino (Bompiani, 2000). US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg both appeared in 2002 and are collected as parallel firsts. No notable book club edition.
• The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana — 2005 · HarcourtFirst US edition, Harcourt, Orlando, 2005, an illustrated novel with full-page color plates; translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock. A first printing states 'First edition' with a number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. First edition in English of La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana (Bompiani, 2004). The US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg editions both appeared in 2005. No notable book-club edition.
• The Prague Cemetery — 2011 · Houghton Mifflin HarcourtFirst US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston/New York, 2011, translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon. A first printing carries a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Issued in quarter cloth over boards, an illustrated octavo paginated [xii], 444, [8], in a dust jacket bearing the printed price. Publication was November 8, 2011. First edition in English of Il cimitero di Praga (Bompiani, 2010). The US HMH (ISBN 9780547577531) and UK Harvill Secker editions both appeared in 2011; each is the first in English for its market. No notable book-club edition.
• Numero Zero — 2015 · Houghton Mifflin HarcourtFirst US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, published 3 November 2015; translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon (ISBN 9780544668263). A first printing carries the standard HMH number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth-covered boards with red lettering to the spine, issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed price. Not illustrated; roughly 191 pages. First edition in English of Numero zero (Bompiani, Milan, 2015). The US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition and the UK Harvill Secker (London) edition both appeared in 2015; sources do not settle which of the two English printings has precedence, so each is best described as a first English edition of its territory. Eco's last novel published in his lifetime. No notable book-club edition.

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