# Is "The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa)" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) by Umberto Eco (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983) is identified by: First US edition in English, translated by William Weaver, issued as a Helen and Kurt Wolff Book. True first in English is the US Harcourt edition of 1983, preceding the UK Secker & Warburg edition of the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition in English, translated by William Weaver, issued as a Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
- The first printing states 'First edition' on the copyright page with the letterline 'B C D E' flush left and the HBJ slug present; the absence of 'A' is the Harcourt first-printing convention
- Quarter-bound in cream cloth backstrip over rose (sometimes described as mauve) paper-covered boards, with the title and decoration stamped in copper on spine and front cover; illustrated abbey-plan endpapers
- 502 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition in English, translated by William Weaver, issued as a Helen and Kurt Wolff Book |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition in English, translated by William Weaver, issued as a Helen and Kurt Wolff Book. The first printing states 'First edition' on the copyright page with the letterline 'B C D E' flush left and the HBJ slug present; the absence of 'A' is the Harcourt first-printing convention. Quarter-bound in cream cloth backstrip over rose (sometimes described as mauve) paper-covered boards, with the title and decoration stamped in copper on spine and front cover; illustrated abbey-plan endpapers. 502 pages.

## Is this the true first?
True first in English is the US Harcourt edition of 1983, preceding the UK Secker & Warburg edition of the same year. The Italian original was published by Bompiani in 1980. Copies signed by both Eco and translator Weaver are noted by collectors.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club reprints lack the HBJ slug, show a complete letter run, or carry later number lines; book-club copies are typically on cheaper stock with a blind-stamp to the rear board and no jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa)* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-name-of-the-rose-il-nome-della-rosa
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.