# Is "Distant Star" by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) (New Directions, New York, 2004) is identified by: First US edition in English, New Directions, New York, 2004, translated by Chris Andrews (Estrella distante). The true first is the Spanish Estrella distante (Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona, 'Narrativas hispánicas' series, October 1996).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition in English, New Directions, New York, 2004, translated by Chris Andrews (Estrella distante)
- Issued as a New Directions Paperbook original softcover only, not in a hardcover trade binding; first printing is identified by the copyright-page printing statement (a complete descending number line ending in 1, with no added impression or later-printing line)
- Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers with the printed cover price present
- ISBN 0-8112-1586-5
- Because it is a paperback original, there is no dust jacket point to check
- 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 | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition in English, New Directions, New York, 2004, translated by Chris Andrews (Estrella distante) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First US edition in English, New Directions, New York, 2004, translated by Chris Andrews (Estrella distante). Issued as a New Directions Paperbook original softcover only, not in a hardcover trade binding; first printing is identified by the copyright-page printing statement (a complete descending number line ending in 1, with no added impression or later-printing line). Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers with the printed cover price present; ISBN 0-8112-1586-5. Because it is a paperback original, there is no dust jacket point to check.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the Spanish Estrella distante (Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona, 'Narrativas hispánicas' series, October 1996). In English, the 2004 New Directions Paperbook is the first US edition; a Harvill Press UK edition also appeared in 2004, so English-language precedence between the two is close and worth verifying rather than asserting outright.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Later New Directions printings are reprints identified by the advanced printing statement on the copyright page; a second or later impression line is the reprint tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Distant Star* by Roberto Bolaño (trans. Chris Andrews) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/distant-star
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.