# Is "The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow, 1949) is identified by: First published in book form by William Morrow, New York, 1949. The US William Morrow edition of 1949 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in book form by William Morrow, New York, 1949
- A Perry Mason mystery
- The true first contains only the novel; the later taller book club edition adds two Mason short stories (The Case of the Crying Swallow and The Case of the Crimson Kiss) and its jacket blurbs them, whereas the first-edition jacket does not
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in book form by William Morrow, New York, 1949 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First published in book form by William Morrow, New York, 1949. A Perry Mason mystery. The true first contains only the novel; the later taller book club edition adds two Mason short stories (The Case of the Crying Swallow and The Case of the Crimson Kiss) and its jacket blurbs them, whereas the first-edition jacket does not.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow edition of 1949 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book club edition is taller, marked as such, includes two added short stories, and carries jacket blurbs for them.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-dubious-bridegroom
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.