# Is "Seeing" by José Saramago a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Seeing by José Saramago (Harcourt, 2006) is identified by: First English-language edition, 2006, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. First edition in English of Ensaio sobre a Lucidez (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2004); a companion to Blindness sharing its setting.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition, 2006, translated by Margaret Jull Costa
- Issued the same year by Harcourt in the US and Harvill Secker in the UK. Harcourt firsts of this period state First edition on the copyright page with a full number line, but the specific terminal digit for this title is not independently confirmed and should be read from the copy in hand
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition, 2006, translated by Margaret Jull Costa |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition, 2006, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Issued the same year by Harcourt in the US and Harvill Secker in the UK. Harcourt firsts of this period state First edition on the copyright page with a full number line, but the specific terminal digit for this title is not independently confirmed and should be read from the copy in hand.

## Is this the true first?
First edition in English of Ensaio sobre a Lucidez (Lisbon, Editorial Caminho, 2004); a companion to Blindness sharing its setting.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Seeing* by José Saramago a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/seeing
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.