# Is "The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto" by Mario Vargas Llosa a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto by Mario Vargas Llosa (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998) is identified by: First American edition, first printing, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1998, stating 'First edition'; translated by Edith Grossman; black cloth spine over blue paper-covered boards, illustrated (ISBN 0374223270). First edition in English of Los cuadernos de don Rigoberto (Spanish original 1997).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, first printing, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1998, stating 'First edition'; translated by Edith Grossman; black cloth spine over blue paper-covered boards, illustrated (ISBN 0374223270)
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mario Vargas Llosa |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, first printing, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1998, stating 'First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First American edition, first printing, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1998, stating 'First edition'; translated by Edith Grossman; black cloth spine over blue paper-covered boards, illustrated (ISBN 0374223270).

## Is this the true first?
First edition in English of Los cuadernos de don Rigoberto (Spanish original 1997). The FSG hardcover is the true first English-language edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book club edition of this title exists; distinguish the trade first by the FSG imprint, full number line/'First edition' statement, and absence of a book-club blind stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto* by Mario Vargas Llosa a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-notebooks-of-don-rigoberto
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.