# Is "My Struggle: Book One (A Death in the Family)" by Karl Ove Knausgaard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Struggle: Book One (A Death in the Family) by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Archipelago Books, 2012) is identified by: Two competing 2012 English-language firsts, both translated by Don Bartlett. On documented publication dates the UK Harvill Secker hardcover ('A Death in the Family,' 9 April 2012) actually precedes the US Archipelago paperback ('My Struggle: Book One,' 1 May 2012) by about three weeks, making the Harvill Secker the earliest English-language appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two competing 2012 English-language firsts, both translated by Don Bartlett
- UK Harvill Secker issued the volume as 'A Death in the Family' in hardcover, published 9 April 2012
- US Archipelago Books issued it as 'My Struggle: Book One' as a trade paperback original, published 1 May 2012
- The later 2014 Archipelago hardcover is explicitly marked 'Second Edition' on its copyright page because the 2012 Archipelago paperback preceded it
- Publisher imprint reads Archipelago Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Karl Ove Knausgaard |
| Publisher | Archipelago Books |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two competing 2012 English-language firsts, both translated by Don Bartlett |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Two competing 2012 English-language firsts, both translated by Don Bartlett. UK Harvill Secker issued the volume as 'A Death in the Family' in hardcover, published 9 April 2012. US Archipelago Books issued it as 'My Struggle: Book One' as a trade paperback original, published 1 May 2012. The later 2014 Archipelago hardcover is explicitly marked 'Second Edition' on its copyright page because the 2012 Archipelago paperback preceded it.

## Is this the true first?
On documented publication dates the UK Harvill Secker hardcover ('A Death in the Family,' 9 April 2012) actually precedes the US Archipelago paperback ('My Struggle: Book One,' 1 May 2012) by about three weeks, making the Harvill Secker the earliest English-language appearance. The two are best treated as competing firsts; collectors who require chronological priority should favour the Harvill Secker, while those who want the canonical American title and text take the Archipelago paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The trap is the 2014 Archipelago hardcover, which is marked 'Second Edition' and is not a first; the 2012 Archipelago paperback is the US true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Struggle: Book One (A Death in the Family)* by Karl Ove Knausgaard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-struggle-book-one-a-death-in-the-family
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.