# Is "Woes of the True Policeman" by Roberto Bolaño a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Woes of the True Policeman by Roberto Bolaño (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012) is identified by: First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published November 13, 2012, translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer. The Spanish original, Los sinsabores del verdadero policía (posthumous, Anagrama, 2011), is the true first; FSG issued the first US English edition in 2012.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published November 13, 2012, translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer
- Hardcover in dust jacket, ISBN 9780374266745
- A true first prints the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roberto Bolaño |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published November 13, 2012, translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, published November 13, 2012, translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer. Hardcover in dust jacket, ISBN 9780374266745. A true first prints the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The Spanish original, Los sinsabores del verdadero policía (posthumous, Anagrama, 2011), is the true first; FSG issued the first US English edition in 2012.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Woes of the True Policeman* by Roberto Bolaño a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/woes-of-the-true-policeman
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.