# Is "The Japanese Lover" by Isabel Allende a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende (Atria, 2015) is identified by: US Atria 2015 first edition, first printing with the number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. First English-language edition of the Spanish novel El amante japones, originally published in Spanish in 2015.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Atria 2015 first edition, first printing with the number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- English translation by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson
- Note the publisher shift to Atria from Allende's earlier HarperCollins titles
- Publisher imprint reads Atria
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Isabel Allende |
| Publisher | Atria |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Atria 2015 first edition, first printing with the number line ending in 1 on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Atria 2015 first edition, first printing with the number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. English translation by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson. Note the publisher shift to Atria from Allende's earlier HarperCollins titles.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the Spanish novel El amante japones, originally published in Spanish in 2015.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Japanese Lover* by Isabel Allende a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-japanese-lover
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.