# Is "Kiss Me, Deadly" by Mickey Spillane a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane (E. P. Dutton, 1952) is identified by: "First Edition" is stated on the reverse of the title page of the first printing. US E.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" is stated on the reverse of the title page of the first printing
- E. P. Dutton first editions are identified either by that stated imprint on the title-page verso or, alternatively, by the absence of any mention of printings or editions — so the stated point is the one to look for here, and it is reported as present by the cataloguing dealer
- The book is a small octavo of 251 pp. in terra cotta / rust-colored cloth with the title stamped in gilt on the spine; that cloth color and pagination are corroborated by independent ABAA catalogue entries
- The title was issued in Dutton's "Guilt Edged Mystery" series (the house pun on gilt-edged)
- A first-issue dust jacket point is reported: a triangular framing device around the words "A New Mike Hammer Mystery," on a priced jacket with the price present at the bottom front flap
- CAUTION: that triangular-framing-device point is attested by a single dealer (James Cummins Bookseller) and no independent corroboration was located; it is recorded here as a single-source jacket point and should not be treated as settled without further evidence
- Publisher imprint reads E. P. Dutton

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mickey Spillane |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" is stated on the reverse of the title page of the first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" is stated on the reverse of the title page of the first printing. E. P. Dutton first editions are identified either by that stated imprint on the title-page verso or, alternatively, by the absence of any mention of printings or editions — so the stated point is the one to look for here, and it is reported as present by the cataloguing dealer. The book is a small octavo of 251 pp. in terra cotta / rust-colored cloth with the title stamped in gilt on the spine; that cloth color and pagination are corroborated by independent ABAA catalogue entries. The title was issued in Dutton's "Guilt Edged Mystery" series (the house pun on gilt-edged). A first-issue dust jacket point is reported: a triangular framing device around the words "A New Mike Hammer Mystery," on a priced jacket with the price present at the bottom front flap. CAUTION: that triangular-framing-device point is attested by a single dealer (James Cummins Bookseller) and no independent corroboration was located; it is recorded here as a single-source jacket point and should not be treated as settled without further evidence. Reference: Hubin, p. 385.

## Is this the true first?
US E. P. Dutton (New York) 1952 is the true first edition; the census claim is confirmed. The first British edition followed — Arthur Barker, London, 1953, a shorter setting at roughly 191-192 pp. — and is collected as the first UK edition only, not as the true first. Signet and later paperback issues, and printings following Robert Aldrich's 1955 film adaptation, are reprints or "first thus" traps. Note the comma in the book title ("Kiss Me, Deadly") against the film's uncommaed "Kiss Me Deadly" — a frequent cataloguing discrepancy that can mask or surface listings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition tells specific to this title are documented in the sources consulted. The working reprint tell is the Dutton rule itself: the first printing states "First Edition" on the title-page verso, so a copy carrying a later-printing statement, or lacking the stated point where it should appear, is not the first. Given the volume of Spillane reprinting in this period, verify the copyright page rather than relying on the terra cotta cloth, which alone is not diagnostic.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kiss Me, Deadly* by Mickey Spillane a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kiss-me-deadly
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.