The points of issue
First English edition. Harper & Row, New York and Evanston, 1968, cloth in dust jacket, translated by Gregory Rabassa. Dust jacket designed by Guy Fleming. First American edition, first printing.
Is this the true first?
True first of the work is the Spanish 'La casa verde' (Editorial Seix Barral, Barcelona, Biblioteca Formentor, 1966, cover by Antoni Tapies, 430 pp). The 1968 Harper & Row is the first English edition; precedes UK Cape (1969).
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Avon paperback and later reprints are not firsts; the UK Cape edition is a separate later first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Green House a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First English edition. Harper & Row, New York and Evanston, 1968, cloth in dust jacket, translated by Gregory Rabassa. Dust jacket designed by Guy Fleming. First American edition, first printing.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True first of the work is the Spanish 'La casa verde' (Editorial Seix Barral, Barcelona, Biblioteca Formentor, 1966, cover by Antoni Tapies, 430 pp). The 1968 Harper & Row is the first English edition; precedes UK Cape (1969).
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Avon paperback and later reprints are not firsts; the UK Cape edition is a separate later first.
I have a first edition of The Green House — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.