# Is "Cosmicomics" by Italo Calvino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968) is identified by: First American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968, 153 pages, translated by William Weaver; bound in light blue cloth boards. First English translation of Le cosmicomiche (Einaudi, 1965).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968, 153 pages, translated by William Weaver; bound in light blue cloth boards
- The first-issue dust jacket carries a color design by Robin Forbes and should retain its printed price on the flap
- Weaver's translation later won the 1969 National Book Award in the translation category
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace & World
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Italo Calvino |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & World |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968, 153 pages, translated by William Weaver; bound in light blue cloth boards |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968, 153 pages, translated by William Weaver; bound in light blue cloth boards. The first-issue dust jacket carries a color design by Robin Forbes and should retain its printed price on the flap. Weaver's translation later won the 1969 National Book Award in the translation category.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of Le cosmicomiche (Einaudi, 1965). US Harcourt, Brace & World 1968 precedes the UK Jonathan Cape edition of 1969.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club issue is identified by the absence of a printed price on the jacket flap; the true first carries the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cosmicomics* by Italo Calvino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cosmicomics
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.