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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Too Many Women by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1947) is identified by: The Viking Press, New York, 1947, first printing. US Viking 1947 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Viking Press, New York, 1947, first printing
- A Nero Wolfe novel; first printing bears no later-printing notation on the copyright page, issued in a full-color pictorial dust wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Viking Press, New York, 1947, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The Viking Press, New York, 1947, first printing. A Nero Wolfe novel; first printing bears no later-printing notation on the copyright page, issued in a full-color pictorial dust wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1947 is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow.

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