# Is "The Secret of Evil" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Secret of Evil by Roberto Bolaño (New Directions, 2012) is identified by: First English-language edition, New Directions 2012, translated by Chris Andrews and Natasha Wimmer. The Spanish original, El secreto del mal (posthumous fragments), is the true first; New Directions issued the first English edition in 2012.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition, New Directions 2012, translated by Chris Andrews and Natasha Wimmer
- Hardcover, ISBN 9780811218153
- Collects nineteen short pieces found among the author's papers
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition, New Directions 2012, translated by Chris Andrews and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition, New Directions 2012, translated by Chris Andrews and Natasha Wimmer. Hardcover, ISBN 9780811218153. Collects nineteen short pieces found among the author's papers.

## Is this the true first?
The Spanish original, El secreto del mal (posthumous fragments), is the true first; New Directions issued the first English edition in 2012.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Secret of Evil* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-secret-of-evil
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.