Is My Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first appearance in English is the Kodansha English Library pocket edition translated by Alfred Birnbaum, 1989, a Japan-only edition produced for Japanese students of English
• It preserves the two-volume division of the original, with a red first volume and a green second volume in small softcover format, and includes an appendix of Japanese text for key English phrases
• The canonical trade first edition is the separate Jay Rubin translation published by The Harvill Press (London) and Vintage (US) in 2000

How Kodansha International marked a first edition

• 1963–c.1990 (Kodansha International Ltd, Tokyo and New York): first printings are identified by an edition/printing statement on the copyright page rather than a number line. Many titles carry an explicit printing-histor…
• c.1990–2011: many later KI titles use a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit, typically '1', = first printing) together with a 'First published <year> by Kodansha International' statement and a 'Pri…

Full Kodansha International first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The true first English appearance is the 1989 Kodansha English Library Birnbaum pocket set (scarce, sold only in Japan). The Rubin translation, Harvill UK 2000, is the canonical trade first edition (first thus). The Japanese original was published in 1987.P-011237

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Vintage US 2000 edition and all later paperbacks are reprints or first-thus issues. Distinguish the Birnbaum 1989 two-volume pocket set (true first in English) from the standard Rubin translation that most readers know.P-011238

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori) a first edition?

A first edition of Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori) by Haruki Murakami (Kodansha International) is identified by: The first appearance in English is the Kodansha English Library pocket edition translated by Alfred Birnbaum, 1989, a Japan-only edition produced for Japanese students of English.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The true first English appearance is the 1989 Kodansha English Library Birnbaum pocket set (scarce, sold only in Japan).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The Vintage US 2000 edition and all later paperbacks are reprints or first-thus issues. Distinguish the Birnbaum 1989 two-volume pocket set (true first in English) from the standard Rubin translation that most readers know.

I have a first edition of Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.