# Is "The Case of the Counterfeit Eye" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Counterfeit Eye by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow and Company, 1935) is identified by: First published by William Morrow, New York, 1935 (the sixth Perry Mason novel). US Morrow edition is the true first; Gardner was an American author published first in the US.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by William Morrow, New York, 1935 (the sixth Perry Mason novel)
- No number line or edition statement; the first printing shows 1935 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Black cloth with titles stamped in red, red top stain
- First-issue dust jacket should accompany a complete first
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow and Company |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by William Morrow, New York, 1935 (the sixth Perry Mason novel) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by William Morrow, New York, 1935 (the sixth Perry Mason novel). No number line or edition statement; the first printing shows 1935 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Black cloth with titles stamped in red, red top stain. First-issue dust jacket should accompany a complete first.

## Is this the true first?
US Morrow edition is the true first; Gardner was an American author published first in the US.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Morrow printings and reprint editions follow; the first is identified by title-page year and the absence of any later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Counterfeit Eye* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-counterfeit-eye
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.