# Is "Of Love and Shadows" by Isabel Allende (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden) (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1987) is identified by: First US/first English edition, Alfred A. True first is the Spanish De amor y de sombra (Plaza & Janes, Barcelona, 1984).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1987, cloth in dust jacket
- Quarter cloth over paper boards with gilt spine lettering
- Translation by Margaret Sayers Peden of De amor y de sombra; first printing per Knopf practice (no later printing statement on the copyright page)
- Signed copies exist
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Isabel Allende (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf, New York |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1987, cloth in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1987, cloth in dust jacket. Quarter cloth over paper boards with gilt spine lettering. Translation by Margaret Sayers Peden of De amor y de sombra; first printing per Knopf practice (no later printing statement on the copyright page). Signed copies exist.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Spanish De amor y de sombra (Plaza & Janes, Barcelona, 1984). The 1987 Knopf is the first edition in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club issue is possible; distinguish by blind-stamp on the rear board and a jacket lacking the printed price. Later paperbacks are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Of Love and Shadows* by Isabel Allende (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/of-love-and-shadows
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.