# Is "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Suskind a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind (Diogenes Verlag, Zurich, 1985) is identified by: German true first: Das Parfum. German true first Diogenes, Zurich, 1985.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- German true first: Das Parfum
- Die Geschichte eines Morders, Diogenes Verlag, Zurich, 1985
- The first English edition is John E. Woods's translation published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1986 (stated 'first UK edition, first printing'; black boards with gilt spine lettering, 186 pp., priced first-issue jacket), issued several months ahead of the first US edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, September 1986)
- Identify the English first by the Hamish Hamilton imprint and 1986 date with the price present at the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Diogenes Verlag, Zurich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patrick Suskind |
| Publisher | Diogenes Verlag, Zurich |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | German true first: Das Parfum |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
German true first: Das Parfum. Die Geschichte eines Morders, Diogenes Verlag, Zurich, 1985. The first English edition is John E. Woods's translation published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1986 (stated 'first UK edition, first printing'; black boards with gilt spine lettering, 186 pp., priced first-issue jacket), issued several months ahead of the first US edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, September 1986). Identify the English first by the Hamish Hamilton imprint and 1986 date with the price present at the flap.

## Is this the true first?
German true first Diogenes, Zurich, 1985. For English, Hamish Hamilton, London (early 1986) precedes Knopf, New York (September 1986) — UK precedes US; both use the John E. Woods translation.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The first US edition (Knopf, New York, 1986) is separately collected; later Penguin/Vintage paperbacks are reprints, not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Perfume: The Story of a Murderer* by Patrick Suskind a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/perfume-the-story-of-a-murderer
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.