# Is "The Case of the Empty Tin" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Empty Tin by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow and Company, 1941) is identified by: First edition published by William Morrow and Company, New York, 1941. The US Morrow edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by William Morrow and Company, New York, 1941
- A Perry Mason mystery; dust jacket illustrated by John Alan Maxwell
- Points: title-page and copyright dates both 1941 with no later-printing statement; black cloth, red top edge
- No number line; a true first has no reprint notice on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow and Company |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by William Morrow and Company, New York, 1941 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition published by William Morrow and Company, New York, 1941. A Perry Mason mystery; dust jacket illustrated by John Alan Maxwell. Points: title-page and copyright dates both 1941 with no later-printing statement; black cloth, red top edge. No number line; a true first has no reprint notice on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The US Morrow edition is the true first. The UK Cassell edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprint editions follow the first and carry copyright-page reprint notices.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Empty Tin* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-empty-tin
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.