# Is "My Name Is Red" by Orhan Pamuk a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Alfred A. Knopf, 2001) is identified by: Both English editions appeared in 2001, in different formats, so format is decisive. The absolute true first in any language is the Turkish 'Benim Adım Kırmızı' (İletişim Yayınları, Istanbul, 1998).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Both English editions appeared in 2001, in different formats, so format is decisive
- The US Knopf edition is a hardcover (Borzoi Books) stating 'First Edition' with the Borzoi colophon; translated by Erdağ M. Göknar, with the price present at the front flap
- The UK Faber and Faber edition of the same translation was issued in 2001 as a paperback original — no UK hardback was published
- Collectors seeking a first English hardcover therefore look to the Knopf printing; those who privilege earliest English appearance must weigh the Faber paperback original (an uncommon first impression)
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Orhan Pamuk |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Both English editions appeared in 2001, in different formats, so format is decisive |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Both English editions appeared in 2001, in different formats, so format is decisive. The US Knopf edition is a hardcover (Borzoi Books) stating 'First Edition' with the Borzoi colophon; translated by Erdağ M. Göknar, with the price present at the front flap. The UK Faber and Faber edition of the same translation was issued in 2001 as a paperback original — no UK hardback was published. Collectors seeking a first English hardcover therefore look to the Knopf printing; those who privilege earliest English appearance must weigh the Faber paperback original (an uncommon first impression).

## Is this the true first?
The absolute true first in any language is the Turkish 'Benim Adım Kırmızı' (İletişim Yayınları, Istanbul, 1998). The English firsts are both 2001 — the US Knopf hardcover and the UK Faber paperback original — in Göknar's translation. The English translation won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2003, and Pamuk won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major club edition is involved. Among English printings, note that the UK Faber 2001 was a paperback original with no UK hardback, while the US Knopf 2001 is the first (and only) English hardcover; precedence depends on whether you privilege format (Knopf hardcover) or earliest appearance (weigh the Faber paperback). The 1998 Turkish İletişim edition precedes all English printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Name Is Red* by Orhan Pamuk a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-name-is-red
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.