# Is "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (Editorial Oveja Negra, 1985) is identified by: Spanish 'El amor en los tiempos del cólera,' first published Bogotá 1985. True first is the Spanish 1985 edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Spanish 'El amor en los tiempos del cólera,' first published Bogotá 1985
- First English edition Alfred A. Knopf New York 1988 (trans
- Edith Grossman), first printing with number line, dust jacket priced
- Publisher imprint reads Editorial Oveja Negra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gabriel García Márquez |
| Publisher | Editorial Oveja Negra |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Spanish 'El amor en los tiempos del cólera,' first published Bogotá 1985 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Spanish 'El amor en los tiempos del cólera,' first published Bogotá 1985. First English edition Alfred A. Knopf New York 1988 (trans. Edith Grossman), first printing with number line, dust jacket priced.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Spanish 1985 edition. First in English is Knopf New York 1988, preceding UK Jonathan Cape 1988.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Knopf first distinguished from Cape UK by imprint; later printings shown by number line. Book club editions lack the priced first-state jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Love in the Time of Cholera* by Gabriel García Márquez a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/love-in-the-time-of-cholera
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.