Is My My Brilliant Friend a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First English-language edition: Europa Editions (New York) trade paperback original, published 25 September 2012, translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein, ISBN 978-1-60945-078-6
• Issued only as a paperback original with the publisher's characteristic French flaps — Europa published no hardcover, so there is no hardcover 'first' to seek
• The first printing is identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; later printings drop the low numbers

How Europa Editions marked a first edition

• Descending number line ending in 1 where present (modern standard)

Full Europa Editions first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The true first of the work is the Italian edition, L'amica geniale (Edizioni e/o, Rome, 2011); Europa Editions is that house's New York imprint. For English-language collectors the Europa paperback of 25 September 2012 is the first edition in English and the sought issue, and it precedes the later Europa Editions UK printing (2013, a separate ISBN). Because 'Elena Ferrante' is a pseudonym whose identity is undisclosed, genuine signed or inscribed copies effectively do not exist, so association material is not a factor.P-036653

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Demand surged after the HBO/RAI television adaptation, and later printings carry higher number lines and tie-in cover art. The first printing precedes the TV tie-in covers and all later one-volume, boxed, and deluxe collected editions of the Neapolitan Novels.P-036654

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of My Brilliant Friend a first edition?

A first edition of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions) is identified by: First English-language edition: Europa Editions (New York) trade paperback original, published 25 September 2012, translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein, ISBN 978-1-60945-078-6.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The true first of the work is the Italian edition, L'amica geniale (Edizioni e/o, Rome, 2011); Europa Editions is that house's New York imprint.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Demand surged after the HBO/RAI television adaptation, and later printings carry higher number lines and tie-in cover art. The first printing precedes the TV tie-in covers and all later one-volume, boxed, and deluxe collected editions of the Neapolitan Novels.

I have a first edition of My Brilliant Friend — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.