# Is "The Laughing Policeman" by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo (Norstedts, 1968 (Swedish) / 1970 (US English)) is identified by: The textual true first is the Swedish 'Den skrattande polisen' (Norstedts, 1968). The Swedish original (1968) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The textual true first is the Swedish 'Den skrattande polisen' (Norstedts, 1968)
- The first English-language edition is the US Pantheon edition
- , translated by Alan Blair, with the printed price on the jacket flap and no later-printing statement
- Fourth of the ten Martin Beck novels
- Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel
- Publisher imprint reads Norstedts
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo |
| Publisher | Norstedts |
| Year | 1968 (Swedish) / 1970 (US English) |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The textual true first is the Swedish 'Den skrattande polisen' (Norstedts, 1968) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The textual true first is the Swedish 'Den skrattande polisen' (Norstedts, 1968). The first English-language edition is the US Pantheon edition (1970), translated by Alan Blair, with the printed price on the jacket flap and no later-printing statement. Fourth of the ten Martin Beck novels. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel (1971).

## Is this the true first?
The Swedish original (1968) is the true first. The collectible English-language first is the US Pantheon edition (1970), which precedes the UK Gollancz edition (1971).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions of the English translation are common.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Laughing Policeman* by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-laughing-policeman
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.