# Is "It Walks by Night" by John Dickson Carr a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of It Walks by Night by John Dickson Carr (Harper & Brothers, 1930) is identified by: New York: Harper & Brothers, 1930 — Carr's first book and the debut of Henri Bencolin. The US Harper & Brothers (New York) 1930 edition is the true first — American author, New York publication with the January 1930 code; Harper's London issue, bound in blue cloth, followed the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New York: Harper & Brothers, 1930 — Carr's first book and the debut of Henri Bencolin
- The first-printing copyright page carries Harper's letter date code 'A-E' (January 1930 in Harper's documented 1912–1949 month/year cipher) with no subsequent printings listed; binding is black cloth with teal lettering and rules on front and spine and a teal publisher's device on the rear panel, pagination recorded as
- Issued as a 'Harper Sealed Mystery': first-issue copies retain remnants of the paper 'Do Not Break' seal at the rear free endpaper
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Dickson Carr |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New York: Harper & Brothers, 1930 — Carr's first book and the debut of Henri Bencolin |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1930 — Carr's first book and the debut of Henri Bencolin. The first-printing copyright page carries Harper's letter date code 'A-E' (January 1930 in Harper's documented 1912–1949 month/year cipher) with no subsequent printings listed; binding is black cloth with teal lettering and rules on front and spine and a teal publisher's device on the rear panel, pagination recorded as (12) 328 (4). Issued as a 'Harper Sealed Mystery': first-issue copies retain remnants of the paper 'Do Not Break' seal at the rear free endpaper.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Brothers (New York) 1930 edition is the true first — American author, New York publication with the January 1930 code; Harper's London issue, bound in blue cloth, followed the same year. Both are collected, with the New York printing taking precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Harper's date code is the tell: a year letter other than 'E' (1930) or any listed subsequent printings marks a reprint; the code system ran 1912–1949.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *It Walks by Night* by John Dickson Carr a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/it-walks-by-night
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.