# Is "Where the Air Is Clear" by Carlos Fuentes (trans. Sam Hileman) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Where the Air Is Clear by Carlos Fuentes (trans. Sam Hileman) (Ivan Obolensky, New York, 1960) is identified by: First English edition, translated by Sam Hileman: Ivan Obolensky cloth in dust jacket, New York, 1960. The true first edition is the Spanish 'La región más transparente' (Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico City, 1958).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition, translated by Sam Hileman: Ivan Obolensky cloth in dust jacket, New York, 1960
- Translation of 'La región más transparente.' Note the unusual US publisher (Ivan Obolensky / McDowell, Obolensky)
- Publisher imprint reads Ivan Obolensky, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carlos Fuentes (trans. Sam Hileman) |
| Publisher | Ivan Obolensky, New York |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition, translated by Sam Hileman: Ivan Obolensky cloth in dust jacket, New York, 1960 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English edition, translated by Sam Hileman: Ivan Obolensky cloth in dust jacket, New York, 1960. Translation of 'La región más transparente.' Note the unusual US publisher (Ivan Obolensky / McDowell, Obolensky).

## Is this the true first?
The true first edition is the Spanish 'La región más transparente' (Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico City, 1958). The 1960 Ivan Obolensky is the first English-language edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Farrar/Noonday and Dalkey Archive paperbacks are reprints, not the Obolensky cloth first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Where the Air Is Clear* by Carlos Fuentes (trans. Sam Hileman) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/where-the-air-is-clear
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.