# Is "Where There's a Will" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Where There's a Will by Rex Stout (Farrar & Rinehart, 1940) is identified by: Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940, first printing. US Farrar & Rinehart 1940 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940, first printing
- The eighth Nero Wolfe novel and the last published before US entry into WWII. First printing carries the F&R monogram colophon on the copyright page; first-issue jacket has the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar & Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1940, first printing. The eighth Nero Wolfe novel and the last published before US entry into WWII. First printing carries the F&R monogram colophon on the copyright page; first-issue jacket has the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar & Rinehart 1940 is the true first edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Where There's a Will* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/where-theres-a-will
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.