# Is "Immortality" by Milan Kundera a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Immortality by Milan Kundera (Grove Weidenfeld, 1991) is identified by: First American edition, Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1991; translated from the Czech by Peter Kussi. First English-language edition of Nesmrtelnost (1990).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1991; translated from the Czech by Peter Kussi
- Issued in cloth-backed boards; confirm the first printing on the copyright page (no added later-printing statement)
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Weidenfeld
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Milan Kundera |
| Publisher | Grove Weidenfeld |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1991; translated from the Czech by Peter Kussi |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First American edition, Grove Weidenfeld, New York, 1991; translated from the Czech by Peter Kussi. Issued in cloth-backed boards; confirm the first printing on the copyright page (no added later-printing statement).

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of Nesmrtelnost (1990). The US Grove Weidenfeld edition was published in 1991 and the Faber and Faber UK edition in 1992, so the 1991 Grove Weidenfeld printing precedes the UK edition and is the true first edition in English. Both use Peter Kussi's translation from the Czech.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific later-printing point is documented beyond the copyright-page statement; verify the first printing there. A Book-of-the-Month-Club or similar club issue, if encountered, is a reprint distinguishable by a blind stamp to the rear board and absence of a printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Immortality* by Milan Kundera a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/immortality
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.