# Is "News of a Kidnapping" by Gabriel García Márquez a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel García Márquez (Alfred A. Knopf, 1997) is identified by: US Knopf 1997 (291 pp.), translated by Edith Grossman. First English-language edition of the nonfiction Noticia de un secuestro (Spanish, 1996).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Knopf 1997 (291 pp.), translated by Edith Grossman
- Bound in half cloth: light beige boards with a black cloth spine, lettered in gilt on the front board and spine
- The copyright page states 'First American Edition,' which stands as the first-printing designation
- Issued in a color pictorial dust jacket designed by Carol Devine Carson; the printed jacket price should be present
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gabriel García Márquez |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Knopf 1997 (291 pp.), translated by Edith Grossman |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Knopf 1997 (291 pp.), translated by Edith Grossman. Bound in half cloth: light beige boards with a black cloth spine, lettered in gilt on the front board and spine. The copyright page states 'First American Edition,' which stands as the first-printing designation. Issued in a color pictorial dust jacket designed by Carol Devine Carson; the printed jacket price should be present.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the nonfiction Noticia de un secuestro (Spanish, 1996). The 'First American Edition' statement identifies the first US printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings are typically blind-stamped on the rear board and carry no dust-jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *News of a Kidnapping* by Gabriel García Márquez a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/news-of-a-kidnapping
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.