# Is "If Death Ever Slept" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1957) is identified by: Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1957. The US Viking Press edition is the true first, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1957
- First edition in blue cloth lettered in darker blue on front and spine, issued in a mainly black dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1957 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1957. First edition in blue cloth lettered in darker blue on front and spine, issued in a mainly black dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US Viking Press edition is the true first, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *If Death Ever Slept* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/if-death-ever-slept
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.