# Is "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008) is identified by: First American edition, Alfred A. First English-language edition of the memoir; the Japanese original appeared in 2007.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 2008, translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel; hardcover stating First American Edition with a full descending number line on the copyright page
- Bound in bright red boards with gilt titling to the spine, in a Chip Kidd-designed dust jacket that should retain its printed price (a clipped jacket does not itself denote a later state)
- Spiral-bound advance galley proofs dated February 2008, printed from the electronic manuscript, precede the trade issue as an advance state
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 2008, translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel; hardcover stating First American Edition… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First American edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 2008, translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel; hardcover stating First American Edition with a full descending number line on the copyright page. Bound in bright red boards with gilt titling to the spine, in a Chip Kidd-designed dust jacket that should retain its printed price (a clipped jacket does not itself denote a later state). Spiral-bound advance galley proofs dated February 2008, printed from the electronic manuscript, precede the trade issue as an advance state.

## Is this the true first?
First English-language edition of the memoir; the Japanese original appeared in 2007. Knopf US and Harvill Secker UK both 2008.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition. The later Vintage International trade paperback is a reprint, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *What I Talk About When I Talk About Running* by Haruki Murakami a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running
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.