The points of issue
Turkish first edition, İletişim Yayınları, Istanbul, 1998, in printed wrappers. The first printing carries a '1. baskı' (first printing) statement in the colophon with no later printing ('baskı') number; Turkish trade books of this period are issued as paperbacks and reprints add successively higher baskı numbers.
Is this the true first?
The Turkish İletişim edition is the true world first. The first English appearance, titled My Name Is Red (US Knopf 2001 and UK Faber 2001, translated by Erdağ Göknar), is a 'first thus' translation that follows the Turkish original by three years.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Turkish printings state higher 'baskı' numbers in the colophon. The Knopf and Faber English editions are translations, not the world first, and should not be catalogued as the true first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of My Name Is Red (Benim Adım Kırmızı) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Turkish first edition, İletişim Yayınları, Istanbul, 1998, in printed wrappers. The first printing carries a '1. baskı' (first printing) statement in the colophon with no later printing ('baskı') number; Turkish trade books of this period are issued as paperbacks and reprints add successively higher baskı numbers.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Turkish İletişim edition is the true world first. The first English appearance, titled My Name Is Red (US Knopf 2001 and UK Faber 2001, translated by Erdağ Göknar), is a 'first thus' translation that follows the Turkish original by three years.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Turkish printings state higher 'baskı' numbers in the colophon. The Knopf and Faber English editions are translations, not the world first, and should not be catalogued as the true first.
I have a first edition of My Name Is Red (Benim Adım Kırmızı) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.