# Is "In Other Words (In altre parole)" by Jhumpa Lahiri a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Other Words (In altre parole) by Jhumpa Lahiri (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016) is identified by: Dual-language edition with the Italian text on the left-hand pages and Ann Goldstein's English translation on the facing right-hand pages (ISBN 978-1-101-87555-1). The Italian original In altre parole (Guanda, 2015) is the true first; the Knopf bilingual edition of 2016 is the first US and first English-language appearance, in Ann Goldstein's translation.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Dual-language edition with the Italian text on the left-hand pages and Ann Goldstein's English translation on the facing right-hand pages (ISBN 978-1-101-87555-1)
- The first US printing states 'First American Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1, and is issued in cloth in a pictorial dust jacket retaining its printed flap price on a correct first-issue copy
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jhumpa Lahiri |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Dual-language edition with the Italian text on the left-hand pages and Ann Goldstein's English translation on the facing right-hand pages… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Dual-language edition with the Italian text on the left-hand pages and Ann Goldstein's English translation on the facing right-hand pages (ISBN 978-1-101-87555-1). The first US printing states 'First American Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1, and is issued in cloth in a pictorial dust jacket retaining its printed flap price on a correct first-issue copy.

## Is this the true first?
The Italian original In altre parole (Guanda, 2015) is the true first; the Knopf bilingual edition of 2016 is the first US and first English-language appearance, in Ann Goldstein's translation.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition. The Bloomsbury UK edition is a separate English printing distinct from the Knopf first American edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Other Words (In altre parole)* by Jhumpa Lahiri a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-other-words-in-altre-parole
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.