# Is "The Way Through the Woods" by Colin Dexter a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter (Macmillan, 1992) is identified by: UK Macmillan first edition, London, 1992, with the statement First published 1992 and a full number line descending to 1. UK Macmillan 1992 is the true first; the US Crown edition of 1992 to 1993 is a first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Macmillan first edition, London, 1992, with the statement First published 1992 and a full number line descending to 1
- The tenth Inspector Morse novel; it won the CWA Gold Dagger for 1992
- A copy whose number line does not include 1 is a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Colin Dexter |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Macmillan first edition, London, 1992, with the statement First published 1992 and a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Macmillan first edition, London, 1992, with the statement First published 1992 and a full number line descending to 1. The tenth Inspector Morse novel; it won the CWA Gold Dagger for 1992. A copy whose number line does not include 1 is a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
UK Macmillan 1992 is the true first; the US Crown edition of 1992 to 1993 is a first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
BCA and other book-club editions, and any printing whose number line does not end in 1, are not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Way Through the Woods* by Colin Dexter a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-way-through-the-woods
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.