# Is "The Open Work" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Open Work by Umberto Eco (Harvard University Press, 1989) is identified by: Harvard University Press, 1989, first English-language edition; translated by Anna Cancogni, with an introduction by David Robey. First English-language edition of Opera aperta (Bompiani, Milan, 1962).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harvard University Press, 1989, first English-language edition; translated by Anna Cancogni, with an introduction by David Robey
- Issued in 1989 in both a cloth (hardcover) binding and a paperback; the cloth issue is the hardcover first and carries its own ISBN distinct from the softcover printing
- Publisher imprint reads Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harvard University Press, 1989, first English-language edition; translated by Anna… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harvard University Press, 1989, first English-language edition; translated by Anna Cancogni, with an introduction by David Robey. Issued in 1989 in both a cloth (hardcover) binding and a paperback; the cloth issue is the hardcover first and carries its own ISBN distinct from the softcover printing.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of Opera aperta (Bompiani, Milan, 1962). This Harvard edition was prepared for the English-language audience with Eco's approval.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Open Work* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-open-work
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.