# Is "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro, 1988) is identified by: The true first is the Brazilian Portuguese O Alquimista, Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro, 1988. Original language Brazilian Portuguese (Rocco, 1988).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the Brazilian Portuguese O Alquimista, Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro, 1988
- The first English-language edition is The Alchemist, translated by Alan R. Clarke, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993: the first printing states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page and carries a full number line descending to 1 (dealers also record a year line 93 94 95 96 97 alongside the 10-9-8-...-1 printer line)
- It is bound in dark blue paper-covered boards over dark blue spine cloth lettered gilt, collates [viii] + 177 pp, and was issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket; the initial print run was small
- Publisher imprint reads Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paulo Coelho |
| Publisher | Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Brazilian Portuguese O Alquimista, Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro, 1988 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the Brazilian Portuguese O Alquimista, Editora Rocco, Rio de Janeiro, 1988. The first English-language edition is The Alchemist, translated by Alan R. Clarke, HarperSanFrancisco, 1993: the first printing states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page and carries a full number line descending to 1 (dealers also record a year line 93 94 95 96 97 alongside the 10-9-8-...-1 printer line). It is bound in dark blue paper-covered boards over dark blue spine cloth lettered gilt, collates [viii] + 177 pp, and was issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket; the initial print run was small.

## Is this the true first?
Original language Brazilian Portuguese (Rocco, 1988). For English, the US HarperSanFrancisco edition (1993) is the first in English anywhere and precedes the UK edition (Thorsons/HarperCollins, 1995), so US precedes UK. Both the Portuguese first and the 1993 English first are collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints are told by loss of the 'FIRST EDITION' statement and a number line no longer ending in 1; later HarperOne printings and the 2007 Easton Press leather edition are not the first. No book-club issue is a recognized first-printing point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-alchemist
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.