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An important edition because it  precedes the first English edition and because of the high quality translation by François Hirsch which won the Prix Maurice-Edgar Coindreau for 1989. Hirsch was a notable French translator from Czech (he translated Kundera among the others) and, with his wife Patricia, from the American. In an undated letter (datable at the end of 1985 or the beginning of 1986) McCarthy writes about Francois Hirsch to an editor at The Ecco Press: “The translator was here last week – an affable chap who seemed greatly enjoy the desert and kept crying ‘formidable!’ at all he saw. Very nice man, very enthusiastic about the book, asks intelligent questions etc. He’s Kundera’s translator (from Czech) but has not translated any American novels” (EP Records, B32, F12). 

In an interview released on March 4, 2012 to Ladépeche.fr Hirsch reported how happened he met McCarthy in El Paso: “J’étais à Washington. Je rencontrais des difficultés sur certains passages de Méridien de Sang. Je lui ai téléphoné, je crois que ça l’a intéressé que quelqu’un aille au fond de ce qu’il avait voulu écrire”. He blames also that this first French edition sold just 347 copies: “J’étais tellement dégoûté de ces faibles ventes que je ne voulais plus traduire McCarthy”. He went on instead, translating Outer Dark, All the Pretty Horses, Cities of the Plain, The Crossing, No Country for Old Men and The Road. Born in 1925, he died in 2021. 

LATER EDITIONS: Gallimard published a second edition in “La noire” series on October 16, 1992. McCarthy told Woolmer that there are no critical changes in it (Woolmer).   

COLLECTING TOPICS : this edition is increasingly uncommon to be found in collector condition. Prices for such copies are around $100.