# Is "Killing Commendatore" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018) is identified by: US Knopf 2018 (ISBN 978-0-525-52004-7), 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1. First English-language edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Knopf 2018 (ISBN 978-0-525-52004-7), 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1
- Issued as a single 704-page volume translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen, in black pictorial glossy boards showing a moon and an eclipsed sun, with lettering to the spine; the priced dust jacket should be present and unclipped
- Collation [12], 5-681, [15] pages
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Knopf 2018 (ISBN 978-0-525-52004-7), 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Knopf 2018 (ISBN 978-0-525-52004-7), 'First American Edition' stated on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1. Issued as a single 704-page volume translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen, in black pictorial glossy boards showing a moon and an eclipsed sun, with lettering to the spine; the priced dust jacket should be present and unclipped. Collation [12], 5-681, [15] pages.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition. US Knopf and UK Harvill Secker were both published on 9 October 2018, so neither has clear temporal precedence; the 'First American Edition' statement identifies the US issue, while the UK issue carries its own descending number line. The Japanese original appeared in two volumes in February 2017; the English translation consolidates both volumes into one.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book club edition; later Knopf printings advance the number line and Vintage issued the trade paperback reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Killing Commendatore* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/killing-commendatore
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.