# Is "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) is identified by: English true first is the Alfred A. Both Knopf (US) and The Harvill Press (London, UK) issued first English editions in January 2005 and are effectively simultaneous — precedence is not reliably established in the sources consulted, so the earlier claim that the US Knopf 'precedes' the UK edition cannot be supported.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- English true first is the Alfred A. Knopf (New York) 2005 hardcover, translated by Philip Gabriel (ISBN 1400043662). 'First American Edition' is stated on the copyright page — Knopf's convention for a title previously published abroad — beneath the 'a Borzoi Book published by Alfred A. Knopf' colophon
- The first printing is marked by the PRESENCE of the numeral 1 in Knopf's number line (which reads 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2); the identifying point is the presence of the 1, not a line 'ending in 1.' Jacket with the price present at the front flap
- The US Knopf on-sale date was 18 January 2005
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | English true first is the Alfred A. Knopf (New York) 2005 hardcover, translated by Philip Gabriel (ISBN 1400043662). 'First American… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
English true first is the Alfred A. Knopf (New York) 2005 hardcover, translated by Philip Gabriel (ISBN 1400043662). 'First American Edition' is stated on the copyright page — Knopf's convention for a title previously published abroad — beneath the 'a Borzoi Book published by Alfred A. Knopf' colophon. The first printing is marked by the PRESENCE of the numeral 1 in Knopf's number line (which reads 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2); the identifying point is the presence of the 1, not a line 'ending in 1.' Jacket with the price present at the front flap. The US Knopf on-sale date was 18 January 2005.

## Is this the true first?
Both Knopf (US) and The Harvill Press (London, UK) issued first English editions in January 2005 and are effectively simultaneous — precedence is not reliably established in the sources consulted, so the earlier claim that the US Knopf 'precedes' the UK edition cannot be supported. The dated evidence in fact leans the other way: the US Knopf on-sale date was 18 January 2005, while the UK Harvill Press hardcover is catalogued in early January 2005 (recorded as 6 January). Harvill issued the trade hardcover alongside signed limited issues of 1,000 and 100 copies. The Japanese original, Umibe no Kafuka, was published by Shinchosha in 2002.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Among English printings, confirm for the US first the Knopf 'First American Edition' statement and the presence of the numeral 1 in the number line; the UK first is The Harvill Press, London, 2005 (with signed limited issues of 1,000 and 100 copies alongside the trade printing). The absolute true first is the 2002 Japanese edition (Shinchosha).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kafka on the Shore* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kafka-on-the-shore
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.