# Is "Roseanna" by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö (P. A. Norstedt & Söner, 1965) is identified by: The true first is the Swedish-language Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 edition, opening the "Roman om ett brott" ("story of a crime") decalogy; it is recorded in the Swedish trade style as a wrappered (softcover) issue. Original-language precedence: Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the Swedish-language Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 edition, opening the "Roman om ett brott" ("story of a crime") decalogy; it is recorded in the Swedish trade style as a wrappered (softcover) issue
- The first English-language edition — Pantheon Books, New York, 1967, translated by Lois Roth — states "First Printing" on the copyright page
- 212 pp., green boards with stamped decoration (dealer descriptions of the stamping colors vary) and a priced jacket (price present at the flap)
- The copyright text records that the translation was published "in slightly different form" from the Swedish original
- Publisher imprint reads P. A. Norstedt & Söner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö |
| Publisher | P. A. Norstedt & Söner |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Swedish-language Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 edition, opening the "Roman om ett brott" ("story of a crime") decalogy… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is the Swedish-language Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 edition, opening the "Roman om ett brott" ("story of a crime") decalogy; it is recorded in the Swedish trade style as a wrappered (softcover) issue. The first English-language edition — Pantheon Books, New York, 1967, translated by Lois Roth — states "First Printing" on the copyright page; 212 pp., green boards with stamped decoration (dealer descriptions of the stamping colors vary) and a priced jacket (price present at the flap). The copyright text records that the translation was published "in slightly different form" from the Swedish original.

## Is this the true first?
Original-language precedence: Norstedt (Stockholm) 1965 is the true first. The Pantheon (New York) 1967 edition is the first in English and the collected English-language first — a "first thus," not the true first; the first UK edition followed from Victor Gollancz (London) in 1968. All three are collected in their own right.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Pantheon printings are stated on the copyright page (a marked third printing is recorded in the trade), so an unstated copy should not be assumed a first; check for the "First Printing" statement and the priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Roseanna* by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/roseanna
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.