# Is "The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis" by José Saramago a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by José Saramago (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991) is identified by: US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 first edition, translated by Giovanni Pontiero, jacket design by Vaughn Andrews. First English translation of O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis (Caminho, Lisbon, 1984).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 first edition, translated by Giovanni Pontiero, jacket design by Vaughn Andrews
- This US edition is the true first English printing; the UK Harvill edition did not appear until 1992
- The first printing is bound in quarter black cloth over mid-blue paper boards, stamped in blue foil to the spine, and the copyright page carries the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich printer's letter code descending to A (the 'A B C D E' / 'ABCDE' form) with no later-printing statement
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 first edition, translated by Giovanni Pontiero, jacket design by Vaughn Andrews |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 first edition, translated by Giovanni Pontiero, jacket design by Vaughn Andrews. This US edition is the true first English printing; the UK Harvill edition did not appear until 1992. The first printing is bound in quarter black cloth over mid-blue paper boards, stamped in blue foil to the spine, and the copyright page carries the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich printer's letter code descending to A (the 'A B C D E' / 'ABCDE' form) with no later-printing statement. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis (Caminho, Lisbon, 1984). The US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1991 edition (ISBN 0151997357) precedes the UK Harvill 1992 edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No distinctive book-club edition recorded; identify the trade first by the 1991 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich imprint, the printer's letter code ending in A on the copyright page, and the printed jacket price on the front flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis* by José Saramago a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-year-of-the-death-of-ricardo-reis
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.