# Is "My Brilliant Friend" by Elena Ferrante a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions, 2012) 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. 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Europa Editions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Elena Ferrante |
| Publisher | Europa Editions |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition: Europa Editions (New York) trade paperback original, published 25 September 2012, translated from the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Brilliant Friend* by Elena Ferrante a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-brilliant-friend
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.