# Is "Artists in Crime" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh (Geoffrey Bles, 1938) is identified by: UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first printing, original cloth. UK Geoffrey Bles (1938) is the true first; the US Lee Furman edition follows it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first printing, original cloth
- Introduces the painter Agatha Troy, Alleyn's future wife
- US first edition Lee Furman, Inc., New York, 1938
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first printing, original cloth |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first printing, original cloth. Introduces the painter Agatha Troy, Alleyn's future wife. US first edition Lee Furman, Inc., New York, 1938.

## Is this the true first?
UK Geoffrey Bles (1938) is the true first; the US Lee Furman edition follows it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints follow the Bles first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Artists in Crime* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/artists-in-crime
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.