# Is "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco (Harcourt, 2005) is identified by: First US edition, Harcourt, Orlando, 2005, an illustrated novel with full-page color plates; translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock. First edition in English of La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana (Bompiani, 2004).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Harcourt, Orlando, 2005, an illustrated novel with full-page color plates; translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock
- A first printing states 'First edition' with a number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Harcourt, Orlando, 2005, an illustrated novel with full-page color… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Harcourt, Orlando, 2005, an illustrated novel with full-page color plates; translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock. A first printing states 'First edition' with a number line descending to 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
First edition in English of La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana (Bompiani, 2004). The US Harcourt and UK Secker & Warburg editions both appeared in 2005.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mysterious-flame-of-queen-loana
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.