# Is "The Savage Detectives" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007) is identified by: First English-language edition: Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover, 2007, translated by Natasha Wimmer, published April 2007. FSG 2007 is the first English-language edition; the Spanish 'Los detectives salvajes' (Anagrama, 1998) is the true first in any language.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition: Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover, 2007, translated by Natasha Wimmer, published April 2007
- First printing states 'First edition, 2007' on the copyright page with a complete number line (1 through 10); tan cloth-covered boards, 577 pages, jacket priced on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition: Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover, 2007, translated by Natasha Wimmer, published April 2007 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition: Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover, 2007, translated by Natasha Wimmer, published April 2007. First printing states 'First edition, 2007' on the copyright page with a complete number line (1 through 10); tan cloth-covered boards, 577 pages, jacket priced on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
FSG 2007 is the first English-language edition; the Spanish 'Los detectives salvajes' (Anagrama, 1998) is the true first in any language. The UK Picador edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings are told by the number line no longer running to 1. The 1998 Anagrama Spanish edition is the absolute true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Savage Detectives* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-savage-detectives
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.