# Is "A Little Lumpen Novelita" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Little Lumpen Novelita by Roberto Bolaño (New Directions, 2014) is identified by: First English-language edition, New Directions, published September 16, 2014, translated by Natasha Wimmer. The Spanish original, Una novelita lumpen (Anagrama, 2002), is the true first edition of the text; New Directions issued the first English-language edition in September 2014.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition, New Directions, published September 16, 2014, translated by Natasha Wimmer
- Hardcover of 128 pages, ISBN 9780811223355, issued in a printed dust jacket
- First printings carry the New Directions edition statement on the copyright page and were released to a starred Publishers Weekly review; the priced jacket should be present and unclipped for a complete first-issue copy
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition, New Directions, published September 16, 2014, translated by Natasha Wimmer |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition, New Directions, published September 16, 2014, translated by Natasha Wimmer. Hardcover of 128 pages, ISBN 9780811223355, issued in a printed dust jacket. First printings carry the New Directions edition statement on the copyright page and were released to a starred Publishers Weekly review; the priced jacket should be present and unclipped for a complete first-issue copy.

## Is this the true first?
The Spanish original, Una novelita lumpen (Anagrama, 2002), is the true first edition of the text; New Directions issued the first English-language edition in September 2014.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; the New Directions hardcover is the first English appearance and later New Directions paperback printings follow it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Little Lumpen Novelita* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-little-lumpen-novelita
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.