# Is "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Kodansha International, 1991) is identified by: First edition in English (copyright page stated 'First edition, 1991'; dealers also style it the 'First American edition'), translated by Alfred Birnbaum. The Kodansha International edition of 1991 (New York) is the first edition in English; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, London) followed, also in 1991.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in English (copyright page stated 'First edition, 1991'; dealers also style it the 'First American edition'), translated by Alfred Birnbaum
- Published by Kodansha International, New York (ISBN 4-7700-1544-5)
- The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First edition, 1991' followed by a printer's key counting down to 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, preceded by the year codes 91 92 93)
- Issued in quarter black cloth over magenta (dark-mauve) paper-covered boards stamped in silver, with illustrated endpapers, in a pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap)
- Collates 400 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Kodansha International
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Kodansha International |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in English (copyright page stated 'First edition, 1991'; dealers also style it the 'First American edition'), translated by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in English (copyright page stated 'First edition, 1991'; dealers also style it the 'First American edition'), translated by Alfred Birnbaum. Published by Kodansha International, New York (ISBN 4-7700-1544-5). The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First edition, 1991' followed by a printer's key counting down to 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, preceded by the year codes 91 92 93). Issued in quarter black cloth over magenta (dark-mauve) paper-covered boards stamped in silver, with illustrated endpapers, in a pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap). Collates 400 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The Kodansha International edition of 1991 (New York) is the first edition in English; the UK edition (Hamish Hamilton, London) followed, also in 1991. The Japanese original, Sekai no owari to hado-boirudo wandarando, was published in 1985 and won the Tanizaki Prize that year. It is Murakami's fourth novel and the second published in English for the trade (after A Wild Sheep Chase).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vintage International paperbacks are reprints. Confirm the 'First edition, 1991' statement with the full 10-to-1 number line, the quarter-black-cloth binding over magenta boards, and ISBN 4-7700-1544-5.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hard-boiled-wonderland-and-the-end-of-the-world
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.