# Is "The Path to the Nest of the Spiders" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Path to the Nest of the Spiders by Italo Calvino (Collins, 1956 (UK Collins); 1957 (US Beacon Press)) is identified by: First English translation by Archibald Colquhoun. First English of Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (Einaudi, 1947).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English translation by Archibald Colquhoun
- The UK Collins edition (London) appeared in 1956; the US Beacon Press edition (Boston) followed in 1957
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1956 (UK Collins); 1957 (US Beacon Press) |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English translation by Archibald Colquhoun |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First English translation by Archibald Colquhoun. The UK Collins edition (London) appeared in 1956; the US Beacon Press edition (Boston) followed in 1957.

## Is this the true first?
First English of Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno (Einaudi, 1947). The Collins London edition of 1956 is generally the first in English; the Beacon Press American first edition is dated 1957, not 1956.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition of the first-edition period.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Path to the Nest of the Spiders* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-path-to-the-nest-of-the-spiders
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.