# Is "The Nursing Home Murder" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh (Geoffrey Bles, 1935) is identified by: UK Geoffrey Bles, London, 1935, is the true first. The UK Geoffrey Bles edition of 1935 is the true first, preceding the US Sheridan House edition of 1941.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Geoffrey Bles, London, 1935, is the true first
- Third Roderick Alleyn novel, and the only book Marsh co-authored, written with Dr
- Henry Jellett
- Dealer copies of the first are commonly described in red cloth boards with black spine and cover lettering (an orange-board binding variant is also reported)
- The 1935 Bles issue predates the American Sheridan House edition of 1941
- Publisher imprint reads Geoffrey Bles
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Geoffrey Bles |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Geoffrey Bles, London, 1935, is the true first |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Geoffrey Bles, London, 1935, is the true first. Third Roderick Alleyn novel, and the only book Marsh co-authored, written with Dr. Henry Jellett. Dealer copies of the first are commonly described in red cloth boards with black spine and cover lettering (an orange-board binding variant is also reported). The 1935 Bles issue predates the American Sheridan House edition of 1941.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Geoffrey Bles edition of 1935 is the true first, preceding the US Sheridan House edition of 1941. First jackets are scarce; many surviving copies are found without the dust jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club editions follow the 1935 first. The 1941 US Sheridan House printing is a later, separate edition, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Nursing Home Murder* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-nursing-home-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.