# Is "Last Ditch" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh (Collins, 1977) is identified by: First published in 1977 both in the UK by Collins Crime Club and in the US by Little, Brown. Both the Collins UK and Little, Brown US editions appeared in 1977; for Marsh's later novels precedence between the two is not uniformly in the UK's favor, so which is the true first should be established per title rather than assumed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in 1977 both in the UK by Collins Crime Club and in the US by Little, Brown
- A Roderick Alleyn novel (his son Ricky is a central figure)
- Verify a UK first by the Collins Crime Club imprint and 1977 dating on the title and copyright pages, with a dust jacket with its printed price rather than a US price
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in 1977 both in the UK by Collins Crime Club and in the US by Little… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First published in 1977 both in the UK by Collins Crime Club and in the US by Little, Brown. A Roderick Alleyn novel (his son Ricky is a central figure). Verify a UK first by the Collins Crime Club imprint and 1977 dating on the title and copyright pages, with a dust jacket with its printed price rather than a US price.

## Is this the true first?
Both the Collins UK and Little, Brown US editions appeared in 1977; for Marsh's later novels precedence between the two is not uniformly in the UK's favor, so which is the true first should be established per title rather than assumed. Treat the Collins Crime Club edition as the UK first, not automatically as the global true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions and later reprints follow the 1977 firsts and typically lack a stated price, show blind-stamps or gutter codes, and are printed on thinner boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Last Ditch* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/last-ditch
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.