# Is "Black Orchids" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Black Orchids by Rex Stout (Farrar & Rinehart, 1942) is identified by: Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1942, first printing. US Farrar & Rinehart 1942 is the true first; the London Collins Crime Club edition did not appear until 1943.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1942, first printing
- A Nero Wolfe double mystery collecting two novellas
- First printing has the publisher's monogram colophon on the copyright page; issued in a pictorial dust wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar & Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1942, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1942, first printing. A Nero Wolfe double mystery collecting two novellas. First printing has the publisher's monogram colophon on the copyright page; issued in a pictorial dust wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar & Rinehart 1942 is the true first; the London Collins Crime Club edition did not appear until 1943.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Black Orchids* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/black-orchids
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.