# Is "Numero Zero" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Numero Zero by Umberto Eco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) is identified by: First US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, published 3 November 2015; translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon (ISBN 9780544668263). First edition in English of Numero zero (Bompiani, Milan, 2015).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, published 3 November 2015; translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon (ISBN 9780544668263)
- A first printing carries the standard HMH number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page
- Bound in black cloth-covered boards with red lettering to the spine, issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed price
- Not illustrated; roughly 191 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, published 3 November 2015; translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon (ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, published 3 November 2015; translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon (ISBN 9780544668263). A first printing carries the standard HMH number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth-covered boards with red lettering to the spine, issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed price. Not illustrated; roughly 191 pages.

## Is this the true first?
First edition in English of Numero zero (Bompiani, Milan, 2015). The US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition and the UK Harvill Secker (London) edition both appeared in 2015; sources do not settle which of the two English printings has precedence, so each is best described as a first English edition of its territory. Eco's last novel published in his lifetime.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Numero Zero* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/numero-zero
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.