# Is "Dead Water" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dead Water by Ngaio Marsh (Collins, 1964) is identified by: This is the UK Collins Crime Club edition, London 1964. True first is the US Little, Brown edition (1963), preceding the UK Collins edition (1964).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- This is the UK Collins Crime Club edition, London 1964
- The true first is the US Little, Brown edition, Boston 1963, which preceded it by a year
- The 23rd Roderick Alleyn novel
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | This is the UK Collins Crime Club edition, London 1964 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
This is the UK Collins Crime Club edition, London 1964. The true first is the US Little, Brown edition, Boston 1963, which preceded it by a year. The 23rd Roderick Alleyn novel.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the US Little, Brown edition (1963), preceding the UK Collins edition (1964).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dead Water* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dead-water
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.