# Is "The Case of the Lame Canary" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Lame Canary by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow, 1937) is identified by: First published by William Morrow in 1937; the eleventh Perry Mason novel. The US William Morrow edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by William Morrow in 1937; the eleventh Perry Mason novel
- Gardner firsts carry no number line, so the true first is identified by the Morrow imprint and its first-issue dust jacket, with no later reprint publisher named on the title page or jacket
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1937 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by William Morrow in 1937; the eleventh Perry Mason novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published by William Morrow in 1937; the eleventh Perry Mason novel. Gardner firsts carry no number line, so the true first is identified by the Morrow imprint and its first-issue dust jacket, with no later reprint publisher named on the title page or jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow edition is the true first. There is no earlier UK issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later photographic reprints appeared under Grosset & Dunlap and Triangle Books imprints; these are reprints, not first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Lame Canary* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-lame-canary
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.