# Is "Over My Dead Body" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout (Farrar & Rinehart, 1940) is identified by: First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940. The US Farrar & Rinehart edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940
- First printing carries the F&R monogram (colophon) on the copyright page
- Turquoise/blue-green cloth stamped in dark blue; rear pages carry an excerpt from Some Buried Caesar
- Seventh Nero Wolfe novel
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar & Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940. First printing carries the F&R monogram (colophon) on the copyright page. Turquoise/blue-green cloth stamped in dark blue; rear pages carry an excerpt from Some Buried Caesar. Seventh Nero Wolfe novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Farrar & Rinehart edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Over My Dead Body* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/over-my-dead-body
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.