# Is "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Dangerous Dowager by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow and Company, 1937) is identified by: First published by William Morrow, New York, 1937 (the tenth Perry Mason novel). US Morrow edition is the true first for this American author.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by William Morrow, New York, 1937 (the tenth Perry Mason novel)
- No number line; the first printing shows 1937 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Uncommon in the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow and Company |
| Year | 1937 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by William Morrow, New York, 1937 (the tenth Perry Mason novel) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by William Morrow, New York, 1937 (the tenth Perry Mason novel). No number line; the first printing shows 1937 on the title page with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Uncommon in the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Morrow edition is the true first for this American author.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Dangerous Dowager* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-dangerous-dowager
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.