# Is "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan" by Herbert P. Bix a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix (HarperCollins, 2000) is identified by: First edition, first printing, published August 2000, a thick octavo of roughly 800 pages in quarter-cloth over boards. The actual book is Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, published August 2000, a thick octavo of roughly 800 pages in quarter-cloth over boards
- The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line descending to 1
- The first-state jacket carries the publisher's printed price on the front flap; confirm the price is present rather than citing any amount
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Herbert P. Bix |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, published August 2000, a thick octavo of roughly 800 pages in quarter-cloth over boards |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, published August 2000, a thick octavo of roughly 800 pages in quarter-cloth over boards. The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line descending to 1. The first-state jacket carries the publisher's printed price on the front flap; confirm the price is present rather than citing any amount.

## Is this the true first?
The actual book is Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P. Bix. US HarperCollins (New York, 2000) is the true first edition. Awarded the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue noted; confirm both the 'First Edition' statement and that the number line on the copyright page reads down to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan* by Herbert P. Bix a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hirohito-and-the-making-of-modern-japan
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.