# Is "Some Prefer Nettles (Tade Kuu Mushi)" by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Some Prefer Nettles (Tade Kuu Mushi) by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki (Alfred A. Knopf, 1955) is identified by: First US and first English-language edition, translated by Edward G. The Knopf US edition of 1955 is the first edition in English; the UK edition (Secker & Warburg, London) followed in 1956 using the same Seidensticker translation.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US and first English-language edition, translated by Edward G. Seidensticker
- Borzoi (Knopf) imprint with 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' stated on the copyright page and Borzoi colophon
- Octavo, roughly xvii plus 202 pages, with a title-page vignette and chapter head-pieces; issued in pictorial paper-covered boards with a black-printed spine in a pictorial dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jun'ichiro Tanizaki |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US and first English-language edition, translated by Edward G. Seidensticker |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First US and first English-language edition, translated by Edward G. Seidensticker. Borzoi (Knopf) imprint with 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' stated on the copyright page and Borzoi colophon. Octavo, roughly xvii plus 202 pages, with a title-page vignette and chapter head-pieces; issued in pictorial paper-covered boards with a black-printed spine in a pictorial dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The Knopf US edition of 1955 is the first edition in English; the UK edition (Secker & Warburg, London) followed in 1956 using the same Seidensticker translation. The Japanese original was serialized 1928 to 1929.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Berkley and Vintage International paperbacks are reprints. Confirm the true first by the 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' line and Borzoi colophon.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Some Prefer Nettles (Tade Kuu Mushi)* by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/some-prefer-nettles-tade-kuu-mushi
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.