# Is "Nobody's Perfect (Dortmunder #4)" by Donald E. Westlake a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nobody's Perfect (Dortmunder #4) by Donald E. Westlake (M. Evans and Company, 1977) is identified by: Evans and Company, New York, 1977; hardcover in cloth-backed boards in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap. The US M.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- M. Evans and Company, New York, 1977; hardcover in cloth-backed boards in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap
- Fourth Dortmunder novel
- One of the more difficult Dortmunder titles to find in fine condition
- Publisher imprint reads M. Evans and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald E. Westlake |
| Publisher | M. Evans and Company |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | M. Evans and Company, New York, 1977; hardcover in cloth-backed boards in a pictorial… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
M. Evans and Company, New York, 1977; hardcover in cloth-backed boards in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap. Fourth Dortmunder novel. One of the more difficult Dortmunder titles to find in fine condition.

## Is this the true first?
The US M. Evans hardcover is the true first edition; the UK Hodder & Stoughton edition followed in 1978.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book club edition exists and is distinguished by the smaller, lighter board stamp and the absence of a printed price on the jacket front flap; the trade first should show that printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nobody's Perfect (Dortmunder #4)* by Donald E. Westlake a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nobodys-perfect-dortmunder-4
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.