# Is "The Death of the Detective" by Mark Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Death of the Detective by Mark Smith (Alfred A. Knopf, 1974) is identified by: US Knopf first edition, 1974, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon, per Knopf's practice of stating 'First Edition' on the first printing and removing it on later impressions. The US Knopf 1974 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Knopf first edition, 1974, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon, per Knopf's practice of stating 'First Edition' on the first printing and removing it on later impressions
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mark Smith |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Knopf first edition, 1974, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon, per Knopf's practice of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Knopf first edition, 1974, with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon, per Knopf's practice of stating 'First Edition' on the first printing and removing it on later impressions.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf 1974 edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Absence of the Knopf 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page indicates a later impression or a reprint edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Death of the Detective* by Mark Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-death-of-the-detective
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.