# Is "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Kodansha International, 1991) is identified by: First American edition, Kodansha International, New York, 1991; translated by Alfred Birnbaum. First edition in English of the 1985 Japanese novel Sekai no owari to hado-boirudo wandarando.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Kodansha International
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Kodansha International |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, Kodansha International, New York, 1991; translated by Alfred… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hard-boiled-wonderland-and-the-end-of-the-world
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.