# Is "The Curtain" by Milan Kundera a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Curtain by Milan Kundera (HarperCollins, 2007) is identified by: First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2007 (full title The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts), translated from the French by Linda Asher; a book-length critical essay in seven parts. First English translation of Le rideau (Gallimard, Paris, 2005).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2007 (full title The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts), translated from the French by Linda Asher; a book-length critical essay in seven parts
- The first printing is a stated first edition, carrying the HarperCollins 'First edition' line on the copyright page with a full descending number line ending in 1 and no later-printing statement
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Milan Kundera |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2007 (full title The Curtain: An Essay in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, HarperCollins, New York, 2007 (full title The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts), translated from the French by Linda Asher; a book-length critical essay in seven parts. The first printing is a stated first edition, carrying the HarperCollins 'First edition' line on the copyright page with a full descending number line ending in 1 and no later-printing statement. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of Le rideau (Gallimard, Paris, 2005). Among English printings the HarperCollins US edition (published January 30, 2007) preceded the Faber & Faber UK edition (published March 15, 2007) by about six weeks, so the US HarperCollins printing is the true English-language first; the French Le rideau of 2005 is the true first edition of the work overall.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Curtain* by Milan Kundera a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-curtain
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.