# Is "Encounter" by Milan Kundera a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Encounter by Milan Kundera (HarperCollins, 2010) is identified by: First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2010, translated from the French by Linda Asher; a collection of essays running about 180 pages. First English translation of Une rencontre (Gallimard, Paris, 2009).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2010, translated from the French by Linda Asher; a collection of essays running about 180 pages
- Bound in cream boards
- The first printing is identified by the 'First edition' / 'First printing' statement on the copyright page in the HarperCollins style; a complete descending number line ending in 1 with no later-printing statement marks the first impression
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Milan Kundera |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2010, translated from the French by Linda… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2010, translated from the French by Linda Asher; a collection of essays running about 180 pages. Bound in cream boards. The first printing is identified by the 'First edition' / 'First printing' statement on the copyright page in the HarperCollins style; a complete descending number line ending in 1 with no later-printing statement marks the first impression. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of Une rencontre (Gallimard, Paris, 2009). The HarperCollins US printing and the Faber & Faber UK printing both appeared in 2010; the underlying French original of 2009 is the true first edition of the work in any language.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Encounter* by Milan Kundera a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/encounter
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.