# Is "Postscript to The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Postscript to The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984) is identified by: First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book'; first printing carries the full descending letter line ending in (or beginning with) 'A'; translated by William Weaver. First English translation of 'Postille a Il nome della rosa'; issued in the UK as 'Reflections on The Name of the Rose' (Secker and Warburg, 1985).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book'; first printing carries the full descending letter line ending in (or beginning with) 'A'; translated by William Weaver
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book'; first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book'; first printing carries the full descending letter line ending in (or beginning with) 'A'; translated by William Weaver.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of 'Postille a Il nome della rosa'; issued in the UK as 'Reflections on The Name of the Rose' (Secker and Warburg, 1985).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Postscript to The Name of the Rose* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/postscript-to-the-name-of-the-rose
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.