# Is "The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende (trans. Magda Bogin) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (trans. Magda Bogin) (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1985) is identified by: First US/first English edition, Alfred A. True first is the Spanish La casa de los espiritus (Plaza & Janes, Barcelona, 1982).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1985 (published April 12, 1985), cloth in dust jacket
- Translated by Magda Bogin (not Margaret Sayers Peden, who translated Allende's later titles)
- A recognized first-printing point of issue is on page 147, where the first state shows a defective line break (an incomplete line 11); later printings correct this
- First printing otherwise per Knopf practice (no later printing statement)
- Signed copies exist
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Isabel Allende (trans. Magda Bogin) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf, New York |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1985 (published April 12, 1985), cloth in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US/first English edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1985 (published April 12, 1985), cloth in dust jacket. Translated by Magda Bogin (not Margaret Sayers Peden, who translated Allende's later titles). A recognized first-printing point of issue is on page 147, where the first state shows a defective line break (an incomplete line 11); later printings correct this. First printing otherwise per Knopf practice (no later printing statement). Signed copies exist.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Spanish La casa de los espiritus (Plaza & Janes, Barcelona, 1982). The 1985 Knopf is the first English-language edition; a UK Jonathan Cape edition also appeared in 1985, but the US Knopf is generally cited as the first edition in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issues exist for this title and are distinguished by a blind-stamp on the rear board, smaller bulk/cheaper paper, and absence of a jacket price; the Knopf trade first carries the priced jacket and shows the page 147 point. Later Bantam paperbacks are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The House of the Spirits* by Isabel Allende (trans. Magda Bogin) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-house-of-the-spirits
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.