# Is "Murder by the Book" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Murder by the Book by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1951) is identified by: Viking Press, New York, 1951, first printing. US Viking edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking Press, New York, 1951, first printing
- Nero Wolfe novel
- First-edition binding is yellow cloth with front cover and spine printed in red, blank rear cover; issued in a yellow, red, black and white dust wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking Press, New York, 1951, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Viking Press, New York, 1951, first printing. Nero Wolfe novel. First-edition binding is yellow cloth with front cover and spine printed in red, blank rear cover; issued in a yellow, red, black and white dust wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking edition is the true first. The UK edition followed later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later collected in the Viking omnibus Royal Flush (1965); reprints follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Murder by the Book* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/murder-by-the-book
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.