Is My The Roman Hat Mystery a First Edition?

The points of issue

• US Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1929 is the true first edition, octavo, publisher's red cloth lettered in black, 325 pages
• This is the first Ellery Queen novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone title
• The book's well-known textual features, the J.J. McC. introduction, the printed List of Characters, and the Challenge to the Reader that breaks before the solution, are present in the text and help confirm the title and edition, but they are not points that distinguish the first printing from later impressions; they appear in reprints as well
• The genuine scarcity lies in a first printing in the original printed dust jacket, since the jacket rarely survives
• Confirm the Stokes imprint on the title page and the absence of any later-impression notice on the copyright page

How Frederick A. Stokes marked a first edition

• 1881-1890 (White & Stokes; White, Stokes & Allen; Frederick A. Stokes & Brother): no first-edition statement. Date the book by the imprint name itself, which changed on a known schedule: 'White & Stokes' indicates 1881-1…

Full Frederick A. Stokes 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?

US Stokes 1929 is the true first; the UK Victor Gollancz edition of 1929 is a first-thus and follows the American printing.P-008031

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Grosset & Dunlap and Triangle reprints are common later issues carrying their own imprints. A genuine first must show the Stokes title-page imprint and no later-printing statement.P-008032

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Roman Hat Mystery a first edition?

A first edition of The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen (Frederick A. Stokes) is identified by: Stokes Company, New York, 1929 is the true first edition, octavo, publisher's red cloth lettered in black, 325 pages.

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. US Stokes 1929 is the true first; the UK Victor Gollancz edition of 1929 is a first-thus and follows the American printing.

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

Grosset & Dunlap and Triangle reprints are common later issues carrying their own imprints. A genuine first must show the Stokes title-page imprint and no later-printing statement.

I have a first edition of The Roman Hat Mystery — 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.