# Is "The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta" by Mario Vargas Llosa a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta by Mario Vargas Llosa (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1986) is identified by: First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1986, in cloth-backed boards with a printed dust jacket; translated by Alfred Mac Adam. First English-language edition, translating Historia de Mayta (Seix Barral, Barcelona, 1984).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1986, in cloth-backed boards with a printed dust jacket; translated by Alfred Mac Adam
- The copyright page states 'First edition' and carries a descending number line whose lowest number
- is present on a first printing; the priced first-state jacket should retain its printed price at the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mario Vargas Llosa |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1986, in cloth-backed boards with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1986, in cloth-backed boards with a printed dust jacket; translated by Alfred Mac Adam. The copyright page states 'First edition' and carries a descending number line whose lowest number (1) is present on a first printing; the priced first-state jacket should retain its printed price at the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition, translating Historia de Mayta (Seix Barral, Barcelona, 1984). The Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition is the true first in English; the Faber & Faber UK edition followed and does not precede the US printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition point is documented; the stated 'First edition' with the complete number line ending in 1 identifies the true first printing. A book-club copy would carry an unpriced jacket and typically a blindstamp to the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta* by Mario Vargas Llosa a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-real-life-of-alejandro-mayta
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.