# Is "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Arte Publico Press, 1984) is identified by: Paperback original in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Alejandro Romero; no hardcover true first exists. The Arte Publico 1984 wrappers issue is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Alejandro Romero; no hardcover true first exists
- Arte Publico Press, Houston, 1984, reportedly in a small first print run of about 500 copies
- Original wrappers, often with spine sunning
- ISBN 0-934770-20-0
- Publisher imprint reads Arte Publico Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sandra Cisneros |
| Publisher | Arte Publico Press |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Alejandro Romero; no hardcover true first exists |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Alejandro Romero; no hardcover true first exists. Arte Publico Press, Houston, 1984, reportedly in a small first print run of about 500 copies. Original wrappers, often with spine sunning. ISBN 0-934770-20-0.

## Is this the true first?
The Arte Publico 1984 wrappers issue is the true first. The later Vintage edition is a 'first thus' reprint, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Beware later Arte Publico printings (check for added printing lines) and the clearly different Vintage reissue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The House on Mango Street* by Sandra Cisneros a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-house-on-mango-street
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.