# Is "Testaments Betrayed" by Milan Kundera a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Testaments Betrayed by Milan Kundera (HarperCollins, 1995) is identified by: First American edition, HarperCollins, New York, 1995 (subtitled 'An Essay in Nine Parts'); translated from the French by Linda Asher. First English-language edition of the essay Les testaments trahis (1993).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, HarperCollins, New York, 1995 (subtitled 'An Essay in Nine Parts'); translated from the French by Linda Asher
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Milan Kundera |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, HarperCollins, New York, 1995 (subtitled 'An Essay in Nine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First American edition, HarperCollins, New York, 1995 (subtitled 'An Essay in Nine Parts'); translated from the French by Linda Asher.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the essay Les testaments trahis (1993). A Faber and Faber UK edition also appeared in 1995; the US HarperCollins printing is treated as the first English edition, though exact US/UK precedence within 1995 is not firmly settled.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific later-printing point documented; verify the first printing on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Testaments Betrayed* by Milan Kundera a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/testaments-betrayed
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.