# Is "Travels in Hyperreality" by Umberto Eco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Travels in Hyperreality by Umberto Eco (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986) is identified by: US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1986, first printing, translated by William Weaver. First-thus English selection under this title.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1986, first printing, translated by William Weaver
- First-issue dust jacket should retain the original printed price on the front flap (the presence of the printed price is the point, not any amount)
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Umberto Eco |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1986, first printing, translated by William Weaver |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1986, first printing, translated by William Weaver. First-issue dust jacket should retain the original printed price on the front flap (the presence of the printed price is the point, not any amount).

## Is this the true first?
First-thus English selection under this title. Published in the same year, the UK volume Faith in Fakes (Secker & Warburg, 1986), also in Weaver's translation, is a distinct compilation of overlapping but not identical essays rather than a straight retitling, so the US Travels in Hyperreality stands as its own first edition. A later revised US paperback appeared subsequently and does not affect the standing of the 1986 Harcourt hardcover.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Travels in Hyperreality* by Umberto Eco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/travels-in-hyperreality
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.