# Is "Build My Gallows High" by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Build My Gallows High by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) (William Morrow, 1946) is identified by: True first is the 1946 William Morrow hardcover (New York), the basis for the 1947 RKO film noir Out of the Past. Caution: paperback reprints and tie-ins postdate the hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the 1946 William Morrow hardcover (New York), the basis for the 1947 RKO film noir Out of the Past
- An octavo bound in publisher's black cloth lettered in white
- The Morrow first carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page and should retain its original pictorial dust jacket
- This is a caution title: it is not a paperback original, and paperback reprints and film tie-ins postdate the hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the 1946 William Morrow hardcover (New York), the basis for the 1947 RKO film noir Out of the Past |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the 1946 William Morrow hardcover (New York), the basis for the 1947 RKO film noir Out of the Past. An octavo bound in publisher's black cloth lettered in white. The Morrow first carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page and should retain its original pictorial dust jacket. This is a caution title: it is not a paperback original, and paperback reprints and film tie-ins postdate the hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
Caution: paperback reprints and tie-ins postdate the hardcover. The 1946 William Morrow hardcover in black cloth is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the Morrow hardcover first, in black cloth lettered white with the original jacket and no printing statement, from later paperback reprints and tie-in editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Build My Gallows High* by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/build-my-gallows-high
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.