The points of issue
First English edition; Pantheon Books cloth in dust jacket, 1966, translated by Gregory Rabassa. Rabassa shared the inaugural U.S. National Book Award for Translation (1967) for this work. A true first printing has no later-printing statements on the copyright page.
Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Spanish Rayuela (Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires, 1963). The 1966 Pantheon is the first English edition and precedes the UK Collins/Harvill (1967).
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Pantheon printings and Avon/paperback reprints are not the cloth first; the UK Harvill is a separate, later first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Hopscotch a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First English edition; Pantheon Books cloth in dust jacket, 1966, translated by Gregory Rabassa. Rabassa shared the inaugural U.S. National Book Award for Translation (1967) for this work. A true first printing has no later-printing statements on the copyright page.
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 Rayuela (Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires, 1963). The 1966 Pantheon is the first English edition and precedes the UK Collins/Harvill (1967).
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Pantheon printings and Avon/paperback reprints are not the cloth first; the UK Harvill is a separate, later first edition.
I have a first edition of Hopscotch — 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.