# Is "The Book of Sand" by Jorge Luis Borges a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges (E.P. Dutton, 1977) is identified by: First American edition, E.P. The Dutton 1977 American edition is the true first English-language edition of El libro de arena (1975).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, E.P. Dutton, New York, 1977, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni, 125 pages including Borges's Afterword
- Bound in cream quarter cloth over brown papered boards with the spine lettered in gilt
- The first-issue glossy brown dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap when unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads E.P. Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jorge Luis Borges |
| Publisher | E.P. Dutton |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, E.P. Dutton, New York, 1977, translated by Norman Thomas di… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First American edition, E.P. Dutton, New York, 1977, translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni, 125 pages including Borges's Afterword. Bound in cream quarter cloth over brown papered boards with the spine lettered in gilt. The first-issue glossy brown dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap when unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The Dutton 1977 American edition is the true first English-language edition of El libro de arena (1975). The first British edition (Allen Lane) did not appear until 1979, so US Dutton has clear precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm a true first by the 1977 date and first-printing state; a blind-stamp is not a documented issue point for this title, and the unclipped priced jacket is the key first-issue tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Book of Sand* by Jorge Luis Borges a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-book-of-sand
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.