# Is "Baltasar and Blimunda" by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Baltasar and Blimunda by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1987) is identified by: First US/first English edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987, cloth in dust jacket, translated by Giovanni Pontiero. True first is the Portuguese Memorial do convento (Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1982).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First 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
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US/first English edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987, cloth in dust jacket, translated by Giovanni Pontiero |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First 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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Baltasar and Blimunda* by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/baltasar-and-blimunda
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.