The points of issue
First US edition, translated by Howard Hibbett, with the Borzoi (Knopf) colophon and the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page. The competing UK edition (Secker & Warburg, London) was published the same year, 1961, in midnight-blue cloth lettered in silver with a pictorial jacket; both use the Hibbett translation.
Is this the true first?
Both the Knopf US edition and the Secker & Warburg UK edition appeared in 1961. The Knopf US issue is conventionally cataloged as the first English-language edition, but because the two are the same year the priority is not absolutely settled from publication records alone; identify the US issue by the Borzoi colophon and Knopf first-edition statement. The Japanese original (Kagi) was published 1956.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vintage International and Perigee paperbacks are reprints.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Key (Kagi) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First US edition, translated by Howard Hibbett, with the Borzoi (Knopf) colophon and the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page. The competing UK edition (Secker & Warburg, London) was published the same year, 1961, in midnight-blue cloth lettered in silver with a pictorial jacket; both use the Hibbett translation.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Both the Knopf US edition and the Secker & Warburg UK edition appeared in 1961. The Knopf US issue is conventionally cataloged as the first English-language edition, but because the two are the same year the priority is not absolutely settled from publication records alone; identify the US issue by
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Vintage International and Perigee paperbacks are reprints.
I have a first edition of The Key (Kagi) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.