# Is "The Mixquiahuala Letters" by Ana Castillo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mixquiahuala Letters by Ana Castillo (Bilingual Press / Editorial Bilingue, 1986) is identified by: Castillo's first novel and winner of an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. The Bilingual Press 1986 issue is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Castillo's first novel and winner of an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation
- Published by Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingue, Binghamton, New York, 1986
- The recognized first is the paperback original in wrappers (ISBN 0-916950-67-5); a clothbound issue under a companion ISBN (0-916950-68-9) was also recorded
- Widely reprinted later by Doubleday in 1992 (ISBN 0-385-42013-7)
- Publisher imprint reads Bilingual Press / Editorial Bilingue
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ana Castillo |
| Publisher | Bilingual Press / Editorial Bilingue |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Castillo's first novel and winner of an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Castillo's first novel and winner of an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. Published by Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingue, Binghamton, New York, 1986. The recognized first is the paperback original in wrappers (ISBN 0-916950-67-5); a clothbound issue under a companion ISBN (0-916950-68-9) was also recorded. Widely reprinted later by Doubleday in 1992 (ISBN 0-385-42013-7).

## Is this the true first?
The Bilingual Press 1986 issue is the true first. The 1992 Doubleday edition is a later first-thus by a different publisher, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; the common Doubleday/Anchor 1992 reprint carries a different publisher and ISBN and is not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mixquiahuala Letters* by Ana Castillo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mixquiahuala-letters
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.