Convenience Store Woman

The census claim is confirmed, and refined on two points. (1) The true first BOOK is the Bungeishunjū hardcover of 27 July 2016, but the first appearance in print is earlier still: the novella was published in the June 2016 issue of the magazine 文學界 (Bungakukai) before book publication — that magazine issue, not the book, is the first printing of the text. (2) In English the two 2018 issues are NOT simultaneous: Grove Press (New York) published 12 June 2018, ahead of Portobello Books (London, ISBN 978-1-84627-683-5) on 5 July 2018, and dealers catalogue the Portobello issue as a softcover. The Grove hardcover is therefore the first edition in English. Name the Bungeishunjū 2016 for a Murata collection and the Grove 2018 for a translation collection.