# Is "Too Many Cooks" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout (Farrar & Rinehart, 1938) is identified by: First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1938. The US Farrar & Rinehart edition is the true first; a Collins (London) Crime Club edition appeared in September 1938 but the F&R is the accepted first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1938
- First printing carries the F&R monogram (colophon) on the copyright page; the second printing (October 1938) is identical except the logo is dropped
- Red cloth stamped in black; the US first famously included recipes printed on blue paper
- Fourth Nero Wolfe novel
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar & Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1938 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1938. First printing carries the F&R monogram (colophon) on the copyright page; the second printing (October 1938) is identical except the logo is dropped. Red cloth stamped in black; the US first famously included recipes printed on blue paper. Fourth Nero Wolfe novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Farrar & Rinehart edition is the true first; a Collins (London) Crime Club edition appeared in September 1938 but the F&R is the accepted first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Second F&R printing (logo dropped) and later reprints/book-club issues follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Too Many Cooks* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/too-many-cooks
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.