# Is "The Island of the Day Before" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco (Harcourt Brace, 1995) is identified by: US Harcourt Brace 1995, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present; translated by William Weaver. First English-language edition of L'isola del giorno prima (Bompiani, 1994).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harcourt Brace 1995, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present; translated by William Weaver
- The UK first was Secker & Warburg, London, 1995
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harcourt Brace 1995, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Harcourt Brace 1995, 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book,' identified as a first printing by the Harcourt descending letter line with 'A' present; translated by William Weaver. The UK first was Secker & Warburg, London, 1995.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of L'isola del giorno prima (Bompiani, 1994). US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg both appeared in 1995 and are collected as parallel firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the letter line and are unpriced; the true first carries the 'A' letter line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Island of the Day Before* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-island-of-the-day-before
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.