The points of issue
Portuguese first edition, Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1995, in printed wrappers, stated as the first edition with a 1995 colophon and no later edition statement.
Is this the true first?
The Portuguese Caminho edition is the true world-first. The first English ('Blindness', US Harcourt Brace / UK Harvill, 1997-98, translated by Giovanni Pontiero) is the English-language first thus.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Caminho printings state higher edition numbers. The English translation is not the world-first; the popular Harvill/Harcourt edition is sometimes mistaken for the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Portuguese first edition, Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1995, in printed wrappers, stated as the first edition with a 1995 colophon and no later edition statement.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Portuguese Caminho edition is the true world-first. The first English ('Blindness', US Harcourt Brace / UK Harvill, 1997-98, translated by Giovanni Pontiero) is the English-language first thus.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Caminho printings state higher edition numbers. The English translation is not the world-first; the popular Harvill/Harcourt edition is sometimes mistaken for the first.
I have a first edition of Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.