# Is "Under the Jaguar Sun" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Under the Jaguar Sun by Italo Calvino (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988) is identified by: First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988, issued as 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book' and translated by William Weaver. First English translation of the posthumous 'Sotto il sole giaguaro' (1986); three stories from Calvino's unfinished 'I cinque sensi.'

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988, issued as 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book' and translated by William Weaver
- The first printing is identified by the letter line 'ABCDE' on the copyright page, with the 'A' present
- Bound in black boards with a black quarter-cloth spine; the first-issue color dust jacket is unclipped, with the printed price present
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988, issued as 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988, issued as 'A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book' and translated by William Weaver. The first printing is identified by the letter line 'ABCDE' on the copyright page, with the 'A' present. Bound in black boards with a black quarter-cloth spine; the first-issue color dust jacket is unclipped, with the printed price present.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of the posthumous 'Sotto il sole giaguaro' (1986); three stories from Calvino's unfinished 'I cinque sensi.'

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Under the Jaguar Sun* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/under-the-jaguar-sun
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.