# Is "The Castle of Crossed Destinies" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976) is identified by: US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1976 first edition, stated First edition with the HBJ letter line beginning at B (First Edition / B C D E) per the 1973 to 1983 practice. First English translation of Il castello dei destini incrociati (Einaudi, 1973).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1976 first edition, stated First edition with the HBJ letter line beginning at B (First Edition / B C D E) per the 1973 to 1983 practice
- Translated by William Weaver; illustrated with Tarot card reproductions
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1976 first edition, stated First edition with the HBJ letter… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1976 first edition, stated First edition with the HBJ letter line beginning at B (First Edition / B C D E) per the 1973 to 1983 practice. Translated by William Weaver; illustrated with Tarot card reproductions.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of Il castello dei destini incrociati (Einaudi, 1973). US Harcourt 1976; UK Secker and Warburg 1977, so the US edition is the first English publication.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later book-club printing lacks the stated First edition line and letter string and usually carries no jacket price; identify by the missing number line rather than by a stamp alone.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Castle of Crossed Destinies* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-castle-of-crossed-destinies
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.