# Is "The Years (Les Années)" by Annie Ernaux a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Years (Les Années) by Annie Ernaux (Éditions Gallimard, Collection Blanche, 2008) is identified by: The true first is the French original, issued in Gallimard's Collection Blanche and published 7 February 2008 (parution "07/02/2008" per Gallimard's own listing; ISBN 9782070779222 / 207077922X), a 256-page softcover in the collection's cream/ivory printed wrappers with the black-and-red-ruled frame and the NRF monogram — Collection Blanche titles are issued in wrappers, not a publisher's hardcover, so the correct first-edition object is the wrappered copy (approx. The true first is the French Les Années (Gallimard, Collection Blanche, 7 February 2008) — the book serious Ernaux collectors want.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the French original, issued in Gallimard's Collection Blanche and published 7 February 2008 (parution "07/02/2008" per Gallimard's own listing
- ISBN 9782070779222 / 207077922X), a 256-page softcover in the collection's cream/ivory printed wrappers with the black-and-red-ruled frame and the NRF monogram — Collection Blanche titles are issued in wrappers, not a publisher's hardcover, so the correct first-edition object is the wrappered copy (approx
- 20.5 x 13.7 cm)
- Identify the first printing by the "achevé d'imprimer" statement dated to early 2008 and the absence of any later-printing line; trade copies are unnumbered
- A deluxe numbered large-paper (grand papier / tirage de tête) state cannot be documented for this specific title, so do not assume one exists; if a numbered large-paper copy were confirmed it would be the most desirable state
- Do NOT accept the Folio pocket paperback (Folio no
- Publisher imprint reads Éditions Gallimard, Collection Blanche

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Ernaux |
| Publisher | Éditions Gallimard, Collection Blanche |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the French original, issued in Gallimard's Collection Blanche and published 7 February 2008 (parution "07/02/2008" per… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is the French original, issued in Gallimard's Collection Blanche and published 7 February 2008 (parution "07/02/2008" per Gallimard's own listing; ISBN 9782070779222 / 207077922X), a 256-page softcover in the collection's cream/ivory printed wrappers with the black-and-red-ruled frame and the NRF monogram — Collection Blanche titles are issued in wrappers, not a publisher's hardcover, so the correct first-edition object is the wrappered copy (approx. 20.5 x 13.7 cm). Identify the first printing by the "achevé d'imprimer" statement dated to early 2008 and the absence of any later-printing line; trade copies are unnumbered. A deluxe numbered large-paper (grand papier / tirage de tête) state cannot be documented for this specific title, so do not assume one exists; if a numbered large-paper copy were confirmed it would be the most desirable state. Do NOT accept the Folio pocket paperback (Folio no. 5000) or any later reprint as the first edition.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the French Les Années (Gallimard, Collection Blanche, 7 February 2008) — the book serious Ernaux collectors want. English buyers should note a common trap: the first English edition was NOT the well-known UK Fitzcarraldo printing. Alison L. Strayer's translation was first published in the US by Seven Stories Press (New York) as a paperback on 21 November 2017 (ISBN 9781609807870); the Fitzcarraldo Editions UK edition (ISBN 9781910695791) followed on 20 June 2018. So the Seven Stories 2017 printing is the true first in English; Fitzcarraldo is the first UK edition. Strayer's translation won the 2018 French-American Foundation Translation Prize (non-fiction) and was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No mass-market book-club edition (e.g., BOMC or Franklin Library) is a notable trap for this title. The realistic "not the first" traps are: the Gallimard Folio pocket paperback (Folio no. 5000), by far the most common copy in the market; the 2018 Fitzcarraldo UK edition mistaken for the first English (it is second, after Seven Stories in November 2017); and later Gallimard reprints in identical-looking wrappers carrying a later "achevé d'imprimer" date. Always check the printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Years (Les Années)* by Annie Ernaux a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-years
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.