# Is "The Periodic Table" by Primo Levi a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (Schocken Books, 1984) is identified by: New York: Schocken Books, 1984 — the first English-language edition, translated by Raymond Rosenthal. The true first of the work overall is the Italian 'Il sistema periodico' (Turin: Einaudi, 1975).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New York: Schocken Books, 1984 — the first English-language edition, translated by Raymond Rosenthal
- Octavo; blue cloth boards stamped in silver on the spine; the first printing carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page
- Illustrated dust jacket with the printed price present at the front flap; pagination [8], 3-233, [1] pp
- Later printings raise the low digit of the number line and add impression statements
- Publisher imprint reads Schocken Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Primo Levi |
| Publisher | Schocken Books |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New York: Schocken Books, 1984 — the first English-language edition, translated by Raymond Rosenthal |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New York: Schocken Books, 1984 — the first English-language edition, translated by Raymond Rosenthal. Octavo; blue cloth boards stamped in silver on the spine; the first printing carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page. Illustrated dust jacket with the printed price present at the front flap; pagination [8], 3-233, [1] pp. Later printings raise the low digit of the number line and add impression statements.

## Is this the true first?
The true first of the work overall is the Italian 'Il sistema periodico' (Turin: Einaudi, 1975). The first edition in English is the US Schocken Books edition of 1984 (trans. Raymond Rosenthal); the UK Michael Joseph edition followed in 1985 — so Schocken, not Michael Joseph, is the first English-language appearance. Do not conflate the 1984 US and 1985 UK years.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
For the English-language first, the US Schocken 1984 precedes the UK Michael Joseph 1985. No book-club issue is documented as a trap here; the reprint tells are the raised low digit of the number line and added impression statements on later Schocken printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Periodic Table* by Primo Levi a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-periodic-table
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.