Is My The Plague Court Murders a First Edition?

The points of issue

• William Morrow & Company, New York, 1934, 8vo; the first Sir Henry Merrivale novel
• Binding is original black cloth with the spine and upper cover stamped in red — independently confirmed by the Sotheby's 2021 Detective Fiction / Alexis Galanos Collection catalogue ("original black cloth, spine and upper cover stamped in red") and by dealer cataloguing that specifies the title and Morrow mystery logo in red on the front board "unlike later editions"
• The decisive copyright-page test comes from Morrow's house practice: per the Quill & Brush publisher reference, prior to 1973 Morrow only sometimes placed "First Printing (Month, Year)" on the copyright page but always indicated later printings — so the absence of any later-printing notice, not the presence of a first-printing statement, is what identifies the first
• The copyright notice reads "Copyright 1934 by William Morrow & Company, Inc." The jacket is present on the Sotheby's copy; refer to it only as a priced jacket with the price present at the flap

How William Morrow & Company marked a first edition

• 1922–c.1962 (Harper & Brothers, stated-first era): from 1922 Harper & Brothers began printing the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page. IMPORTANT: the letter printing code did NOT stop in 1922 — it continued to ap…

Full William Morrow & Company first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US William Morrow (New York) 1934 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Heinemann (London) 1935 edition by a year; this order is confirmed by the Sotheby's catalogue record, Wikipedia's publication data and dealer cataloguing. Both are collected — the Morrow as the true first, the Heinemann 1935 as the first British edition. Note for the Heinemann: per Quill & Brush, Heinemann's dated-title-page practice applies only to 1890–1921 and does not govern a 1935 book, so do not apply that rule here. Watch for the "first thus" trap of the modern American Mystery Classics reissue, which is a reprint, not an edition point.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No contemporaneous book-club issue of the 1934 Morrow printing is documented in the sources consulted. Because Morrow always noted later printings before 1973, any reprint or printing notice on the copyright page rules out the first. Later cheap reprints and paperbacks (Avon and others) carry their own imprint on the spine and title page and are easily separated; one Avon reprint is reported to add the subtitle "A Chief Inspector Masters Mystery", which is a reprint feature and was NOT confirmed on the Morrow first — do not use that subtitle as a first-edition point.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Plague Court Murders a first edition?

A first edition of The Plague Court Murders by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr) (William Morrow & Company) is identified by: William Morrow & Company, New York, 1934, 8vo; the first Sir Henry Merrivale novel.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The US William Morrow (New York) 1934 edition is the true first and precedes the UK Heinemann (London) 1935 edition by a year; this order is confirmed by the Sotheby's catalogue record, Wikipedia's publication data and dealer cataloguing.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No contemporaneous book-club issue of the 1934 Morrow printing is documented in the sources consulted. Because Morrow always noted later printings before 1973, any reprint or printing notice on the copyright page rules out the first. Later cheap reprints and paperbacks (Avon and others) carry their own imprint on the spine and title page and are easily separated; one Avon reprint is reported to add the subtitle "A Chief Inspector Masters Mystery", which is a reprint feature and was NOT confirmed

I have a first edition of The Plague Court Murders — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.