# Is "Six Memos for the Next Millennium" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino (Harvard University Press, 1988) is identified by: Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1988, first edition; translated by Patrick Creagh. First English-language edition of the five completed lectures Calvino left unfinished at his death in 1985; includes a preface by Esther Calvino.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1988, first edition; translated by Patrick Creagh
- The five Charles Eliot Norton Lectures Calvino was preparing for 1985-86
- First printing is bound in gray cloth boards with the author and title stamped on the spine in copper, 124 pages, in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price (unclipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1988, first edition; translated by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harvard University Press (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1988, first edition; translated by Patrick Creagh. The five Charles Eliot Norton Lectures Calvino was preparing for 1985-86. First printing is bound in gray cloth boards with the author and title stamped on the spine in copper, 124 pages, in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price (unclipped).

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the five completed lectures Calvino left unfinished at his death in 1985; includes a preface by Esther Calvino.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Six Memos for the Next Millennium* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/six-memos-for-the-next-millennium
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.