# Is "The Roman Hat Mystery" by Ellery Queen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen (Frederick A. Stokes, 1929) is identified by: Stokes Company, New York, 1929 is the true first edition, octavo, publisher's red cloth lettered in black, 325 pages. US Stokes 1929 is the true first; the UK Victor Gollancz edition of 1929 is a first-thus and follows the American printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Frederick A. Stokes
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ellery Queen |
| Publisher | Frederick A. Stokes |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1929 is the true first edition, octavo, publisher's red cloth lettered in black, 325 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Roman Hat Mystery* by Ellery Queen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-roman-hat-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.