# Is "Conversation in the Cathedral" by Mario Vargas Llosa (trans. Gregory Rabassa) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa (trans. Gregory Rabassa) (Harper & Row, New York, 1975) is identified by: First English edition. True first of the work is the Spanish 'Conversacion en La Catedral' (Seix Barral, Barcelona, 1969).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition
- Harper & Row, New York, 1975, black cloth boards with gilt lettering, 601 pages, translated by Gregory Rabassa
- Translation of 'Conversacion en La Catedral.' First American edition, first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mario Vargas Llosa (trans. Gregory Rabassa) |
| Publisher | Harper & Row, New York |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English edition. Harper & Row, New York, 1975, black cloth boards with gilt lettering, 601 pages, translated by Gregory Rabassa. Translation of 'Conversacion en La Catedral.' First American edition, first printing.

## Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Spanish 'Conversacion en La Catedral' (Seix Barral, Barcelona, 1969). The 1975 Harper & Row is the first English edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later paperbacks (Avon, Farrar) are reprints, not the cloth first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Conversation in the Cathedral* by Mario Vargas Llosa (trans. Gregory Rabassa) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/conversation-in-the-cathedral
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.