# Is "Woes of the True Policeman" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Woes of the True Policeman by Roberto Bolaño (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012) is identified by: First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, November 2012, translated by Natasha Wimmer. The Spanish original, Los sinsabores del verdadero policia (posthumous, 2011), is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, November 2012, translated by Natasha Wimmer
- Hardcover, ISBN 9780374266745
- A true first prints the full number line ending in 1
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, November 2012, translated by Natasha Wimmer |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, November 2012, translated by Natasha Wimmer. Hardcover, ISBN 9780374266745. A true first prints the full number line ending in 1.

## Is this the true first?
The Spanish original, Los sinsabores del verdadero policia (posthumous, 2011), is the true first. FSG issued the first US English edition in 2012.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Woes of the True Policeman* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/woes-of-the-true-policeman
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.