# Haruki Murakami fans - are "Hear the wind sing" and "Pinball, 1973" worth it?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haruki-murakami-fans-are-hear-the-wind-sing-and-pinball-1973-worth-it/479923
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 5, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haruki-murakami-fans-are-hear-the-wind-sing-and-pinball-1973-worth-it/479923 "2009-01-05T07:41:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2009, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haruki-murakami-fans-are-hear-the-wind-sing-and-pinball-1973-worth-it/479923/1 "2009-01-05T07:41:10Z")
I love Haruki Murakami’s novels, and have ready everything of his that’s in print in English. His first two novels, [Hear the Wind Sing](http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/4061860267/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used) and [Pinball, 1973](http://www.amazon.com/Pinball-1973-Haruki-MURAKAMI/dp/B000H65UUM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231141002&sr=8-2) were only published in Japan, even though they had english translations. As you can see from those links, they’re pretty rare and pricey.
Has anyone read them? Are they worth the inflated prices? Murakami has repeatedly said that he has no intention of releasing them in America, as he’s not very proud of them.
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### Author:  [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haruki-murakami-fans-are-hear-the-wind-sing-and-pinball-1973-worth-it/479923/2 "2009-01-05T13:40:59Z")
I haven’t read either, but you might like to know that you can order Hear the Wind Sing from Japan for much, much, much cheaper than 280$.
> **[風の歌を聴け―Hear the wind sing 【講談社英語文庫】 | 村上 春樹, アルフレッド・バーンバウム, Alfred Birnbaum |本 |...](https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E9%A2%A8%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%8C%E3%82%92%E8%81%B4%E3%81%91%E2%80%95Hear-wind-sing-%E3%80%90%E8%AC%9B%E8%AB%87%E7%A4%BE%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB%E3%80%91-%E6%9D%91%E4%B8%8A/dp/477002214X)**
>
> Amazonで村上 春樹, アルフレッド・バーンバウム, Alfred Birnbaumの風の歌を聴け―Hear the wind sing 【講談社英語文庫】。アマゾンならポイント還元本が多数。村上 春樹, アルフレッド・バーンバウム, Alfred Birnbaum作品ほか、お急ぎ便対象商品は当日お届けも可能。また風の歌を聴け―Hear the wind sing 【講談社英語文庫】もアマゾン配送商品なら通常配送無料。
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haruki-murakami-fans-are-hear-the-wind-sing-and-pinball-1973-worth-it/479923/3 "2009-01-05T14:00:25Z")
I got 'em at the Japanese-language bookstore in NY for a few bucks apiece. They were okay as I recall. I am a rabid HM fan, and they were worth reading to see how he got started but they are nowhere near the level of Norwegian Wood or his subsequent work…
I have a few English language first editions of his, but assume they don’t have much $$ value since they aren’t true firsts. I doubt I would invest much money in Murakami first editions until I had a sense of their market value…