# Is "Septology (Septologien) — beginning with The Other Name (Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II)" by Jon Fosse a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Septology (Septologien) — beginning with The Other Name (Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II) by Jon Fosse (Det Norske Samlaget, 2019) is identified by: The true first of Fosse's magnum opus is the original Nynorsk (New Norwegian) edition, "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II," published by Det Norske Samlaget in autumn 2019 (ISBN 9788252196177). The true first edition is the 2019 Norwegian "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II" (Det Norske Samlaget), with the two later Norwegian volumes "Eg er ein annan: Septologien III–V" (2020) and "Eit nytt namn: Septologien VI–VII" (2021) completing the sequence — collectors of Fosse pursue the 2019 first volume as the key book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first of Fosse's magnum opus is the original Nynorsk (New Norwegian) edition, "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II," published by Det Norske Samlaget in autumn 2019 (ISBN 9788252196177)
- It was issued innbundet (hardcover) — Samlaget's standard format for its literary first editions — running 516 pages; multiple primary Norwegian records (the Goodreads editions register, ARK Bokhandel) confirm the 2019 hardcover at 516 pp
- Do NOT confuse it with the later, separate 2020 heftet (paperback/pocket) issue of the same title, ISBN 9788234002199, which runs 513 pp. and was published 14 February 2020, nor with the 2022 combined one-volume hardcover of all seven parts (ISBN 9788234009846, ~895 pp.)
- Because Norwegian trade houses do not carry Anglo-American granular issue points, identification rests on the Samlaget imprint, the 2019 date, the hardcover format, the 516-page count, and the ISBN 9788252196177 taken together; a "1. utgåve / 1. opplag" line, if present on the verso, supports first-printing status but should be treated as confirmation rather than a documented, title-specific point of issue
- Publisher imprint reads Det Norske Samlaget
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jon Fosse |
| Publisher | Det Norske Samlaget |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first of Fosse's magnum opus is the original Nynorsk (New Norwegian) edition, "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II," published by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first of Fosse's magnum opus is the original Nynorsk (New Norwegian) edition, "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II," published by Det Norske Samlaget in autumn 2019 (ISBN 9788252196177). It was issued innbundet (hardcover) — Samlaget's standard format for its literary first editions — running 516 pages; multiple primary Norwegian records (the Goodreads editions register, ARK Bokhandel) confirm the 2019 hardcover at 516 pp. Do NOT confuse it with the later, separate 2020 heftet (paperback/pocket) issue of the same title, ISBN 9788234002199, which runs 513 pp. and was published 14 February 2020, nor with the 2022 combined one-volume hardcover of all seven parts (ISBN 9788234009846, ~895 pp.). Because Norwegian trade houses do not carry Anglo-American granular issue points, identification rests on the Samlaget imprint, the 2019 date, the hardcover format, the 516-page count, and the ISBN 9788252196177 taken together; a "1. utgåve / 1. opplag" line, if present on the verso, supports first-printing status but should be treated as confirmation rather than a documented, title-specific point of issue.

## Is this the true first?
The true first edition is the 2019 Norwegian "Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II" (Det Norske Samlaget), with the two later Norwegian volumes "Eg er ein annan: Septologien III–V" (2020) and "Eit nytt namn: Septologien VI–VII" (2021) completing the sequence — collectors of Fosse pursue the 2019 first volume as the key book. The first English-language edition is "The Other Name: Septology I–II," translated by Damion Searls and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions (London) on 10 October 2019 in their signature blue French-flapped paperback (352 pp., print ISBN 9781910695913; 9781910695920 is the ebook) — this UK Fitzcarraldo printing precedes all other English editions and carried the work onto the 2020 International Booker longlist. The US edition (Transit Books, Oakland) followed on 7 April 2020 (336 pp., ISBN 9781945492402) using the same Searls translation, and is a later, separate issue that does not precede the Fitzcarraldo first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No mass-market book-club issue defines the collectible first here — Bokklubben and other Norwegian retail channels simply distribute the Samlaget trade hardcover under the same ISBN 9788252196177, so a "Bokklubben" listing is not automatically a distinct book-club edition. The traps are format, printing, and translation state rather than a book club: (1) the 2022 Samlaget one-volume collected "Septologien" (all seven parts, ISBN 9788234009846, ~895 pp.) is frequently mistaken for the first — it is not; (2) the 2020 heftet/pocket paperback (ISBN 9788234002199, 513 pp., 14 Feb 2020) is a later issue, not the 2019 hardcover first; and (3) on the English side, Transit Books' 7 April 2020 US printing and any post-Nobel (late 2023 onward) reprints/reissues of the Fitzcarraldo edition are later states, not the 10 October 2019 first English printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Septology (Septologien) — beginning with The Other Name (Det andre namnet: Septologien I–II)* by Jon Fosse a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/septology-beginning-with-the-other-name
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.