# Is "The War of the End of the World" by Mario Vargas Llosa a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1984) is identified by: First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1984, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page and translated by Helen R. First English translation of La guerra del fin del mundo (Seix Barral, 1981).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1984, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page and translated by Helen R. Lane; the dust jacket, designed by the Paul Bacon Studio, should retain its printed price on the front flap
- A separate signed, numbered limited issue also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mario Vargas Llosa |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1984, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page and translated by Helen R.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1984, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page and translated by Helen R. Lane; the dust jacket, designed by the Paul Bacon Studio, should retain its printed price on the front flap. A separate signed, numbered limited issue also exists.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of La guerra del fin del mundo (Seix Barral, 1981). The FSG 1984 edition precedes the first UK edition (Faber and Faber, London, 1985), so it is the true first in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition point documented; the stated 'First edition' plus the priced Paul Bacon Studio jacket identify the true first. The 1985 Faber edition is a separate later English first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The War of the End of the World* by Mario Vargas Llosa a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-war-of-the-end-of-the-world
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.