# Is "Life & Times of Michael K" by J. M. Coetzee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee (Ravan Press, 1983) is identified by: The true first is the South African edition: Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1983 (ISBN 086975159X), which multiple specialist dealers identify as the genuine first edition of Coetzee's first Booker Prize-winning novel; it was printed and bound in Britain for the South African publisher. True first is the South African Ravan Press 1983 edition, not the UK Secker.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the South African edition: Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1983 (ISBN 086975159X), which multiple specialist dealers identify as the genuine first edition of Coetzee's first Booker Prize-winning novel; it was printed and bound in Britain for the South African publisher
- The UK Secker & Warburg 1983 edition (black boards, gilt spine, laminated pictorial dust wrapper, jacket priced in sterling, ISBN 0436102978) is a near-simultaneous issue but is treated as secondary to the Ravan printing
- Both 1983 editions precede the US Viking edition of 1984
- Publisher imprint reads Ravan Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J. M. Coetzee |
| Publisher | Ravan Press |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the South African edition: Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1983 (ISBN 086975159X), which multiple specialist dealers identify… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is the South African edition: Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1983 (ISBN 086975159X), which multiple specialist dealers identify as the genuine first edition of Coetzee's first Booker Prize-winning novel; it was printed and bound in Britain for the South African publisher. The UK Secker & Warburg 1983 edition (black boards, gilt spine, laminated pictorial dust wrapper, jacket priced in sterling, ISBN 0436102978) is a near-simultaneous issue but is treated as secondary to the Ravan printing. Both 1983 editions precede the US Viking edition of 1984.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the South African Ravan Press 1983 edition, not the UK Secker. The UK Secker & Warburg 1983 and US Viking 1984 are later. Won the 1983 Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant club edition; the main pitfall is the UK Secker or US Viking issue being offered as 'the first' when specialists give the Ravan Press (SA) 1983 priority.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life & Times of Michael K* by J. M. Coetzee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-times-of-michael-k
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.