Is My Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First American edition, Kodansha International, New York, 1991; translated by Alfred Birnbaum
• Identified by the Kodansha International imprint and 1991 date, quarter black cloth over boards with title stamped in silver on the spine

How Kodansha International marked a first edition

• c.1990–2011: many later KI titles use a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit, typically '1', = first printing) together with a 'First published <year> by Kodansha International' statement and a 'Pri…

Full Kodansha International first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

First edition in English of the 1985 Japanese novel Sekai no owari to hado-boirudo wandarando. The UK Hamish Hamilton edition also appeared in 1991.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No notable book-club edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World a first edition?

A first edition of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Kodansha International) is identified by: First American edition, Kodansha International, New York, 1991; translated by Alfred Birnbaum.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. First edition in English of the 1985 Japanese novel Sekai no owari to hado-boirudo wandarando.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No notable book-club edition.

I have a first edition of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World — what should I do?

If you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than lost. To sell, see the author&rsquo;s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.