# Is "Off With His Head (US: Death of a Fool)" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Off With His Head (US: Death of a Fool) by Ngaio Marsh (Little, Brown, 1956) is identified by: US Little, Brown (Boston, 1956) as Death of a Fool precedes the UK Collins Crime Club edition (1957), which used the title Off With His Head. True first is the US Little, Brown edition (1956) titled Death of a Fool, preceding the UK Collins edition (1957) titled Off With His Head.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Little, Brown (Boston, 1956) as Death of a Fool precedes the UK Collins Crime Club edition
- , which used the title Off With His Head
- A Roderick Alleyn novel; the true first is the American issue under the variant title
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Little, Brown (Boston, 1956) as Death of a Fool precedes the UK Collins Crime Club… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Little, Brown (Boston, 1956) as Death of a Fool precedes the UK Collins Crime Club edition (1957), which used the title Off With His Head. A Roderick Alleyn novel; the true first is the American issue under the variant title.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the US Little, Brown edition (1956) titled Death of a Fool, preceding the UK Collins edition (1957) titled Off With His Head.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club issues follow the 1956 US first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Off With His Head (US: Death of a Fool)* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/off-with-his-head-us-death-of-a-fool
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.