# Is "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ" by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) (The Harvill Press, London, 1993) is identified by: First English edition is the UK Harvill Press hardcover, 1993, in dust jacket (ISBN 0-00-271357-8 / 9780002713573), translated by Giovanni Pontiero. True first of the work is the Portuguese 'O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo' (Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1991).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition is the UK Harvill Press hardcover, 1993, in dust jacket (ISBN 0-00-271357-8 / 9780002713573), translated by Giovanni Pontiero
- The US Harcourt Brace edition followed in 1994
- Collectors seeking the first edition in English should take the 1993 Harvill, not the 1994 Harcourt
- Publisher imprint reads The Harvill Press, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) |
| Publisher | The Harvill Press, London |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition is the UK Harvill Press hardcover, 1993, in dust jacket (ISBN 0-00-271357-8 / 9780002713573), translated by Giovanni… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English edition is the UK Harvill Press hardcover, 1993, in dust jacket (ISBN 0-00-271357-8 / 9780002713573), translated by Giovanni Pontiero. The US Harcourt Brace edition followed in 1994. Collectors seeking the first edition in English should take the 1993 Harvill, not the 1994 Harcourt.

## Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Portuguese 'O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo' (Editorial Caminho, Lisbon, 1991). The first edition in English is the UK Harvill (1993), which precedes the US Harcourt Brace (1994); both use the Pontiero translation.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1994 US Harcourt Brace edition and the later Harvest in Translation paperbacks are not the 1993 UK first English.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gospel According to Jesus Christ* by José Saramago (trans. Giovanni Pontiero) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gospel-according-to-jesus-christ
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.