# Is "In Evil Hour" by Gabriel García Márquez a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Evil Hour by Gabriel García Márquez (Harper & Row, 1979) is identified by: First US edition, first printing, indicated by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; translated by Gregory Rabassa. First English-language edition of La mala hora (Spanish first published 1962; author-revised text 1966).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, first printing, indicated by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; translated by Gregory Rabassa
- New York: Harper & Row, 1979
- Octavo, 183 pages
- Bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and orange endpapers
- Issued in a color pictorial dust jacket that should carry its printed price to the front flap (jacket art by Guy Fleming)
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gabriel García Márquez |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, first printing, indicated by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; translated by Gregory Rabassa |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, first printing, indicated by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; translated by Gregory Rabassa. New York: Harper & Row, 1979. Octavo, 183 pages. Bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and orange endpapers. Issued in a color pictorial dust jacket that should carry its printed price to the front flap (jacket art by Guy Fleming).

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of La mala hora (Spanish first published 1962; author-revised text 1966). The Harper & Row printing is the true first in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition is identified by a small blind-stamp to the rear board and a jacket printed without a price to the flap; the trade first should show the printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Evil Hour* by Gabriel García Márquez a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-evil-hour
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.