# Is "Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori)" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori) by Haruki Murakami (Kodansha International, 1989) 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. The true first English appearance is the 1989 Kodansha English Library Birnbaum pocket set (scarce, sold only in Japan).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Kodansha International
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Kodansha International |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first appearance in English is the Kodansha English Library pocket edition translated by Alfred Birnbaum, 1989, a Japan-only edition… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no Mori)* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/norwegian-wood-noruwei-no-mori
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.