# Is "A Judgement in Stone" by Ruth Rendell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell (Hutchinson, 1977) is identified by: UK Hutchinson first edition, 1977, in first-issue priced dust jacket; the copyright page carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line. UK Hutchinson (1977) precedes the US Doubleday edition (1978).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Hutchinson first edition, 1977, in first-issue priced dust jacket; the copyright page carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line
- Opens with the celebrated line naming the murderer at the outset: Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Hutchinson first edition, 1977, in first-issue priced dust jacket; the copyright page carries a single first-published statement with no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Hutchinson first edition, 1977, in first-issue priced dust jacket; the copyright page carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line. Opens with the celebrated line naming the murderer at the outset: Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hutchinson (1977) precedes the US Doubleday edition (1978). One of Rendell's most acclaimed standalone novels.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add a printing line on the copyright page; book-club copies lack the stated jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Judgement in Stone* by Ruth Rendell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-judgement-in-stone
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.