# Is "Christ Stopped at Eboli" by Carlo Levi a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi (Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin, 1945) is identified by: The true first is Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin, September 1945 — the author's first book, written in hiding in Florence between December 1943 and July 1944. Italian true first: Einaudi, Turin, September 1945.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin, September 1945 — the author's first book, written in hiding in Florence between December 1943 and July 1944
- The notable bibliographic oddity, and a useful authentication check, is that Einaudi issued this autobiographical narrative not as fiction but in its 'Saggi' (Essays) series; the first edition runs to 243 pages and was printed on the poor greyish wartime stock characteristic of Einaudi's output as the house re-established itself after the war
- The original sovraccoperta (dust jacket) is recorded by dealers as extremely scarce and is very often absent
- A second edition followed in 1946 and a reprint in 1947, both separable by their dated title/copyright leaves
- On the Farrar, Straus and Company first American edition (New York, 1947, translated by Frances Frenaye), a second printing dated May 1947 is recorded and is stated as such — a true first printing therefore shows no later-printing notice on the copyright page; publisher's red cloth is common to both printings and does not by itself separate them, and the jacket should be present and priced at the flap
- An 'ff' colophon point is repeated in aggregated dealer listings but could not be corroborated independently and is not asserted here
- Publisher imprint reads Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carlo Levi |
| Publisher | Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin, September 1945 — the author's first book, written in hiding… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is Cristo si è fermato a Eboli, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Turin, September 1945 — the author's first book, written in hiding in Florence between December 1943 and July 1944. The notable bibliographic oddity, and a useful authentication check, is that Einaudi issued this autobiographical narrative not as fiction but in its 'Saggi' (Essays) series; the first edition runs to 243 pages and was printed on the poor greyish wartime stock characteristic of Einaudi's output as the house re-established itself after the war. The original sovraccoperta (dust jacket) is recorded by dealers as extremely scarce and is very often absent. A second edition followed in 1946 and a reprint in 1947, both separable by their dated title/copyright leaves. On the Farrar, Straus and Company first American edition (New York, 1947, translated by Frances Frenaye), a second printing dated May 1947 is recorded and is stated as such — a true first printing therefore shows no later-printing notice on the copyright page; publisher's red cloth is common to both printings and does not by itself separate them, and the jacket should be present and priced at the flap. An 'ff' colophon point is repeated in aggregated dealer listings but could not be corroborated independently and is not asserted here.

## Is this the true first?
Italian true first: Einaudi, Turin, September 1945. In English, the United States precedes the United Kingdom: Farrar, Straus and Company, New York, 1947 (Frances Frenaye translation, subtitled 'The Story of a Year') is the first edition in English, ahead of the Cassell, London edition of 1948. Collectors of the English text should note the US 1947 is the first English-language appearance, not merely the first American.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented for the Einaudi first. On the US side the May 1947 second printing is the common reprint trap because it shares the publisher's red cloth with the first. A Time Inc. Reading Program edition (1964) and the later Farrar, Straus and Giroux paperback (ISBN 0374530092) are reprints/'first thus' only. Later Einaudi series issues (Gli struzzi, Einaudi tascabili, Super ET) are separable by series name and ISBN.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Christ Stopped at Eboli* by Carlo Levi a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/christ-stopped-at-eboli
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.