# Is "Monsieur Pain" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Monsieur Pain by Roberto Bolaño (New Directions, 2010) is identified by: New Directions (New York) 2010, first English-language edition, issued as a hardcover with dust jacket; translated by Chris Andrews. First English-language edition of the novel published in Spanish as Monsieur Pain (1999), which had originally been issued in 1993 by the City Council of Toledo as La senda de los elefantes; a New Directions paperback followed the 2010 hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New Directions (New York) 2010, first English-language edition, issued as a hardcover with dust jacket; translated by Chris Andrews
- The first printing bears the New Directions imprint and the copyright statement of first publication in this translation in 2010
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New Directions (New York) 2010, first English-language edition, issued as a hardcover… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New Directions (New York) 2010, first English-language edition, issued as a hardcover with dust jacket; translated by Chris Andrews. The first printing bears the New Directions imprint and the copyright statement of first publication in this translation in 2010.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the novel published in Spanish as Monsieur Pain (1999), which had originally been issued in 1993 by the City Council of Toledo as La senda de los elefantes; a New Directions paperback followed the 2010 hardcover.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Monsieur Pain* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/monsieur-pain
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.