# Is "The Case of the Postponed Murder" by Erle Stanley Gardner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Case of the Postponed Murder by Erle Stanley Gardner (William Morrow, 1973) is identified by: William Morrow, New York, 1973 first printing. The US Morrow edition of 1973 is the true first; it is a posthumous first publication with no earlier printed appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Morrow, New York, 1973 first printing
- This is the last Perry Mason novel, published posthumously (Gardner died in 1970) though written some years earlier
- The first edition is bound in black boards with gilt spine lettering, in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erle Stanley Gardner |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | William Morrow, New York, 1973 first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
William Morrow, New York, 1973 first printing. This is the last Perry Mason novel, published posthumously (Gardner died in 1970) though written some years earlier. The first edition is bound in black boards with gilt spine lettering, in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Morrow edition of 1973 is the true first; it is a posthumous first publication with no earlier printed appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and book-club issues follow the 1973 Morrow first; book-club copies typically lack the printed jacket price and may carry a blind-stamped gutter code, distinguishing them from the Morrow trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Case of the Postponed Murder* by Erle Stanley Gardner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-case-of-the-postponed-murder
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.