# Is "The Red House Mystery" by A. A. Milne a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne (Methuen & Co., 1922) is identified by: UK Methuen first, 1922 on the title page, with no later-impression statement on the verso; bound in publisher's green cloth, blind-lettered to the upper cover and gilt-lettered to the spine, with a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. The UK Methuen 1922 edition precedes the US E.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Methuen first, 1922 on the title page, with no later-impression statement on the verso; bound in publisher's green cloth, blind-lettered to the upper cover and gilt-lettered to the spine, with a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear
- Milne's only detective novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone
- Publisher imprint reads Methuen & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | A. A. Milne |
| Publisher | Methuen & Co. |
| Year | 1922 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Methuen first, 1922 on the title page, with no later-impression statement on the verso; bound in publisher's green cloth, blind-lettered… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Methuen first, 1922 on the title page, with no later-impression statement on the verso; bound in publisher's green cloth, blind-lettered to the upper cover and gilt-lettered to the spine, with a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Milne's only detective novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Methuen 1922 edition precedes the US E. P. Dutton 1922 edition and is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Methuen reprinted heavily; later impressions are stated on the verso. The US Dutton 1922 edition (red cloth, gilt-stamped spine and front cover) is the first US, a first-thus rather than the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Red House Mystery* by A. A. Milne a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-red-house-mystery
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.