# Is "Time to Murder and Create" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Time to Murder and Create by Lawrence Block (Dell, 1977) is identified by: Dell paperback original, 1977; first printing stated / identified by the printing code on the copyright page. The US Dell paperback original is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Dell paperback original, 1977; first printing stated / identified by the printing code on the copyright page
- No contemporaneous hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Dell
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | Dell |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Dell paperback original, 1977; first printing stated / identified by the printing code on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Dell paperback original, 1977; first printing stated / identified by the printing code on the copyright page. No contemporaneous hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
The US Dell paperback original is the true first. Series/reading order places it as the second Scudder novel, but by date of publication it was actually the third to appear, after The Sins of the Fathers (1976) and In the Midst of Death (1976).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; the paperback original is the true first. First hardcover appeared only many years later.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Time to Murder and Create* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/time-to-murder-and-create
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.