# Is "Last Evenings on Earth" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Last Evenings on Earth by Roberto Bolaño (New Directions, 2006) is identified by: New Directions, 2006, first English-language edition, translated by Chris Andrews; a hardcover original of roughly 184 pages issued in a small first print run. The New Directions hardcover is the priority issue and the first English-language collection of Bolaño's short fiction, gathering fourteen stories drawn from the Spanish collections Llamadas telefónicas (1997) and Putas asesinas (2001).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New Directions, 2006, first English-language edition, translated by Chris Andrews; a hardcover original of roughly 184 pages issued in a small first print run
- The first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page with the numeral 1 present and no statement of a later printing; the dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap (unclipped on an as-issued copy)
- A paperback in the New Directions Paperbook series (a different ISBN) followed
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New Directions, 2006, first English-language edition, translated by Chris Andrews; a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New Directions, 2006, first English-language edition, translated by Chris Andrews; a hardcover original of roughly 184 pages issued in a small first print run. The first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page with the numeral 1 present and no statement of a later printing; the dust jacket should retain its printed price on the flap (unclipped on an as-issued copy). A paperback in the New Directions Paperbook series (a different ISBN) followed.

## Is this the true first?
The New Directions hardcover is the priority issue and the first English-language collection of Bolaño's short fiction, gathering fourteen stories drawn from the Spanish collections Llamadas telefónicas (1997) and Putas asesinas (2001). It was Bolaño's first US hardcover, and the hardcover precedes the paperback issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book club edition; the principal later state is the softcover New Directions Paperbook reissue, distinguished by its separate ISBN and wrapper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Last Evenings on Earth* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/last-evenings-on-earth
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.