# Is "Between Parentheses" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Between Parentheses by Roberto Bolaño (New Directions, 2011) is identified by: First English-language edition, New Directions 2011, translated by Natasha Wimmer and edited by Ignacio Echevarria. The Spanish original, Entre parentesis, is the true first; New Directions issued the first English-language edition in 2011.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition, New Directions 2011, translated by Natasha Wimmer and edited by Ignacio Echevarria
- Hardcover, ISBN 9780811218146
- Collects the nonfiction essays, articles, and speeches from 1998 to 2003
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition, New Directions 2011, translated by Natasha Wimmer and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition, New Directions 2011, translated by Natasha Wimmer and edited by Ignacio Echevarria. Hardcover, ISBN 9780811218146. Collects the nonfiction essays, articles, and speeches from 1998 to 2003.

## Is this the true first?
The Spanish original, Entre parentesis, is the true first; New Directions issued the first English-language edition in 2011.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Between Parentheses* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/between-parentheses
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.