# Is "The Elephant Vanishes" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf, 1993) is identified by: First edition of the collection (first thus): the seventeen stories were selected and assembled in English by Murakami's Knopf editor Gary Fisketjon, so the collection as such exists first in this English-language form. The Knopf US 1993 hardcover is the true first of this collection, which was compiled in English and has no single Japanese-language equivalent.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition of the collection (first thus): the seventeen stories were selected and assembled in English by Murakami's Knopf editor Gary Fisketjon, so the collection as such exists first in this English-language form
- Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin
- Borzoi colophon on the copyright page; first printing carries the full number line
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition of the collection (first thus): the seventeen stories were selected and assembled in English by Murakami's Knopf editor Gary… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition of the collection (first thus): the seventeen stories were selected and assembled in English by Murakami's Knopf editor Gary Fisketjon, so the collection as such exists first in this English-language form. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin. Borzoi colophon on the copyright page; first printing carries the full number line. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The Knopf US 1993 hardcover is the true first of this collection, which was compiled in English and has no single Japanese-language equivalent. The UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, 1993) was a paperback original with no UK hardback; The Harvill Press issued a later softcover. The original Japanese stories were published separately in Japan over the preceding years.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Vintage International paperback and the UK paperback printings are reprints of the collection.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Elephant Vanishes* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-elephant-vanishes
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.