# Is "Death in a White Tie" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh (Geoffrey Bles, 1938) is identified by: UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first edition, original red cloth lettered in white, with a floorplan frontispiece. UK Geoffrey Bles (1938) is the true first; a KeysAuctions record confirms London, Geoffrey Bles, 1938, first edition, first issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first edition, original red cloth lettered in white, with a floorplan frontispiece
- Seventh Alleyn novel
- Alleyn and Troy
- US first edition Lee Furman, Inc., 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 edition, original red cloth lettered in white, with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Geoffrey Bles 1938 first edition, original red cloth lettered in white, with a floorplan frontispiece. Seventh Alleyn novel; Alleyn and Troy. US first edition Lee Furman, Inc., 1938.

## Is this the true first?
UK Geoffrey Bles (1938) is the true first; a KeysAuctions record confirms London, Geoffrey Bles, 1938, first edition, first issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Lee Furman edition and later reprints follow the Bles first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death in a White Tie* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-in-a-white-tie
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.