# Is "Difficult Loves" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Difficult Loves by Italo Calvino (Secker & Warburg, 1983 (UK) / 1984 (US)) is identified by: The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich edition is dated 1984 and, because 1984 falls after the 1973 to 1983 no-A window, its copyright page states First edition with the full letter line beginning at A (First Edition / A B C D E). The US 1984 Harcourt volume is NOT the first English appearance of this material.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich edition is dated 1984 and, because 1984 falls after the 1973 to 1983 no-A window, its copyright page states First edition with the full letter line beginning at A (First Edition / A B C D E)
- The UK Secker and Warburg edition is dated 1983
- Translators across the two editions include William Weaver, Archibald Colquhoun, and Peggy Wright
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1983 (UK) / 1984 (US) |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich edition is dated 1984 and, because 1984 falls after the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich edition is dated 1984 and, because 1984 falls after the 1973 to 1983 no-A window, its copyright page states First edition with the full letter line beginning at A (First Edition / A B C D E). The UK Secker and Warburg edition is dated 1983. Translators across the two editions include William Weaver, Archibald Colquhoun, and Peggy Wright.

## Is this the true first?
The US 1984 Harcourt volume is NOT the first English appearance of this material. The UK Secker and Warburg edition (London, 1983) precedes it, and three of the stories were first translated for that 1983 British edition before the fuller American selection of 1984. The two editions differ in contents, so neither is a straightforward reprint of the other.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later book-club printing of the US edition lacks the stated First edition line and the A-initial letter string and typically has no jacket price; identify by the absence of the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Difficult Loves* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/difficult-loves
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.