How to Identify a Kodansha International First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• 1963–c.1990 (Kodansha International Ltd, Tokyo and New York): first printings are identified by an edition/printing statement on the copyright page rather than a number line. Many titles carry an explicit printing-history block (for example 'First edition, 1972' followed by later 'printing' lines); on a true first the first-edition/first-printing line is the only or topmost entry. Number lines are generally absent in this early era, and 'ISBN' appears from the early 1970s.
• c.1990–2011: many later KI titles use a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit, typically '1', = first printing) together with a 'First published <year> by Kodansha International' statement and a 'Printed in Japan' note. Treat the number line as a general-practice guide for this era rather than a guaranteed rule for every title, since house formatting was not perfectly uniform.
• 2011 (KI closure): Kodansha International ceased operations at the end of April 2011; the English-language list migrated to Kodansha USA and other publishers. A genuine KI first must bear the KI imprint and predate this; post-2011 reissues under other imprints are not the KI first.
• Kodansha Bilingual Books / Globe series: these are catalog-numbered series; the series number is not a printing indicator — rely on the edition statement or number line instead.

Notable points & cautions

• A leading English-language publisher of books on Japan — art, culture, martial arts, cookery, language instruction, and literary translations — operating in the same space as Tuttle.
• Early titles use 'First edition' statements and printing-history blocks rather than number lines; later titles adopt a number line.
• Founded in 1963 and shut down at the end of April 2011; these dates bound the window for genuine KI firsts.
• Distinct from Kodansha's Japanese-language and manga operations (Kodansha Comics / Kodansha USA).

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Kodansha International (KI), Kodansha USA, Kodansha America, Kodansha Globe, Kodansha Bilingual Books. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Kodansha International book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. 1963–c.1990 (Kodansha International Ltd, Tokyo and New York): first printings are identified by an edition/printing statement on the copyright page rather than a number line. Many titles carry an explicit printing-history block (for example 'First edition, 1972' followed by later 'printing' lines); on a true first the first-edition/first-printing line is the only or topmost entry. Number lines are generally absent in this early era, and 'ISBN' appears from the early 1970s. c.1990–2011: many later KI titles use a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit, typically '1', = first printing) together with a 'First published <year> by Kodansha International' statement and a 'Printed in Japan' note. Treat the number line as a general-practice guide for this era rather than a guaranteed rule for every title, since house formatting was not perfectly uniform.

Does Kodansha International use a number line?

c.1990–2011: many later KI titles use a descending number line on the copyright page (lowest digit, typically '1', = first printing) together with a 'First published <year> by Kodansha International' statement and a 'Printed in Japan' note. Treat the number line as a general-practice guide for this era rather than a guaranteed rule for every title, since house formatting was not perfectly uniform.

Is a book-club edition a Kodansha International first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. A leading English-language publisher of books on Japan — art, culture, martial arts, cookery, language instruction, and literary translations — operating in the same space as Tuttle.

What era does this cover?

This covers Kodansha International (1963–2011). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.