# Is "By Night in Chile" by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) (New Directions, New York, 2003) is identified by: First English edition, New Directions, 2003, translated by Chris Andrews. True first is the Spanish Nocturno de Chile (Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona, 2000).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition, New Directions, 2003, translated by Chris Andrews
- This was the first of Bolano's books to be published in English
- Issued as a New Directions paperbook with a clothbound issue also produced; first printing per the New Directions copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) |
| Publisher | New Directions, New York |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition, New Directions, 2003, translated by Chris Andrews |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First English edition, New Directions, 2003, translated by Chris Andrews. This was the first of Bolano's books to be published in English. Issued as a New Directions paperbook with a clothbound issue also produced; first printing per the New Directions copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Spanish Nocturno de Chile (Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona, 2000). The 2003 New Directions is the first edition in English and the first Bolano title in English, a key point for collectors building a Bolano-in-English run.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; later New Directions printings are reprints, identified by the copyright-page printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *By Night in Chile* by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/by-night-in-chile
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.