# Is "Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira)" by José Saramago a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira) by José Saramago (Editorial Caminho, 1995) is identified by: Portuguese 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Portuguese 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
- Publisher imprint reads Editorial Caminho
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago |
| Publisher | Editorial Caminho |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Portuguese first edition (primeira edição), Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1995, issued brochado in printed paper wrappers, approximately 21… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Portuguese 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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blindness (Ensaio sobre a cegueira)* by José Saramago a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blindness-ensaio-sobre-a-cegueira
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.