The points of issue
First complete English translation of Ficciones. Grove Press hardcover, 1962, in dust jacket, edited and introduced by Anthony Kerrigan with translations by Kerrigan, Anthony Bonner, Alastair Reid, Helen Temple, and Ruthven Todd. The cloth issue in jacket is the first-issue collectible (a paperback Evergreen edition also exists). Dealers note jacket states for this edition, so compare the jacket carefully.
Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Spanish Ficciones (Editorial Sur, Buenos Aires, 1944, expanded by Emecé in 1956). The 1962 Grove is the first English edition; it appeared the same year as New Directions' Labyrinths, which has different contents and a different editor.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grove Evergreen paperback and later printings are not the cloth first; UK editions (Weidenfeld) followed.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Ficciones a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First complete English translation of Ficciones. Grove Press hardcover, 1962, in dust jacket, edited and introduced by Anthony Kerrigan with translations by Kerrigan, Anthony Bonner, Alastair Reid, Helen Temple, and Ruthven Todd. The cloth issue in jacket is the first-issue collectible (a paperback Evergreen edition also exists). Dealers note jacket states for this edition, so compare the jacket carefully.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True first of the work is the Spanish Ficciones (Editorial Sur, Buenos Aires, 1944, expanded by Emecé in 1956). The 1962 Grove is the first English edition; it appeared the same year as New Directions' Labyrinths, which has different contents and a different editor.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Grove Evergreen paperback and later printings are not the cloth first; UK editions (Weidenfeld) followed.
I have a first edition of Ficciones — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.