# Is "Scales of Justice" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh (Collins, 1955) is identified by: Published in 1955 by both UK Collins Crime Club and US Little, Brown. Both the UK Collins and US Little, Brown editions appeared in 1955; precedence between the two is not reliably documented.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Published in 1955 by both UK Collins Crime Club and US Little, Brown
- Both are 1955 first editions; clear precedence between them is not firmly established
- A Roderick Alleyn novel
- The Collins issue has orange boards with black spine lettering and endpaper maps
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Published in 1955 by both UK Collins Crime Club and US Little, Brown |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Published in 1955 by both UK Collins Crime Club and US Little, Brown. Both are 1955 first editions; clear precedence between them is not firmly established. A Roderick Alleyn novel. The Collins issue has orange boards with black spine lettering and endpaper maps.

## Is this the true first?
Both the UK Collins and US Little, Brown editions appeared in 1955; precedence between the two is not reliably documented. Treat each as a 1955 first in its own market.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club issues follow the 1955 firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Scales of Justice* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/scales-of-justice
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.