The points of issue
UK Nelson first, 1913: blue cloth boards with gilt spine titling, colour frontispiece, and printed pictorial endpapers; the Nelson imprint on the title page. Dust jackets rarely survive. The US Century edition of the same year carries the variant title The Woman in Black.
Is this the true first?
The UK Nelson 1913 edition and the US Century 1913 edition (titled The Woman in Black) appeared at essentially the same time in early 1913, not with a clear interval. The Nelson edition is conventionally treated as the first edition proper, carrying the title by which the book is known, but the two are best described as near-simultaneous rather than one clearly preceding the other.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints (Knopf, Penguin and others) are clearly reprint imprints. The US Century The Woman in Black is the US issue under a variant title, near-simultaneous with the UK first rather than a later printing of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Trent's Last Case a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: UK Nelson first, 1913: blue cloth boards with gilt spine titling, colour frontispiece, and printed pictorial endpapers; the Nelson imprint on the title page. Dust jackets rarely survive. The US Century edition of the same year carries the variant title The Woman in Black.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The UK Nelson 1913 edition and the US Century 1913 edition (titled The Woman in Black) appeared at essentially the same time in early 1913, not with a clear interval. The Nelson edition is conventionally treated as the first edition proper, carrying the title by which the book is known, but the two
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later reprints (Knopf, Penguin and others) are clearly reprint imprints. The US Century The Woman in Black is the US issue under a variant title, near-simultaneous with the UK first rather than a later printing of it.
I have a first edition of Trent's Last Case — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.