# Is "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (The Harvill Press, 2000) is identified by: First authorized worldwide English edition: The Harvill Press, London, 2000, translated by Jay Rubin. First widely distributed English text is the 2000 Jay Rubin translation (Harvill UK, Vintage US).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First authorized worldwide English edition: The Harvill Press, London, 2000, translated by Jay Rubin
- The Harvill first printing was issued in two volumes echoing the original Japanese layout, volume one in red wrappers and volume two in green, lettered in black and gold; a signed limited issue came housed in a bronze solander box
- US Vintage International trade paperback also 2000
- Publisher imprint reads The Harvill Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | The Harvill Press |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First authorized worldwide English edition: The Harvill Press, London, 2000, translated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First authorized worldwide English edition: The Harvill Press, London, 2000, translated by Jay Rubin. The Harvill first printing was issued in two volumes echoing the original Japanese layout, volume one in red wrappers and volume two in green, lettered in black and gold; a signed limited issue came housed in a bronze solander box. US Vintage International trade paperback also 2000.

## Is this the true first?
First widely distributed English text is the 2000 Jay Rubin translation (Harvill UK, Vintage US). An earlier Alfred Birnbaum translation was published in Japan only in 1989 by Kodansha in its English Library series, a pocket-sized edition made for Japanese students of English with an appendix of key phrases; it is the true earliest English printing but was regional and is scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; many later paperback printings exist.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Norwegian Wood* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/norwegian-wood
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.