# Is "Whose Body?" by Dorothy L. Sayers a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (Boni & Liveright, 1923) is identified by: TRUE FIRST is the US Boni & Liveright edition, New York, 1923 — the first appearance of Lord Peter Wimsey and Sayers's debut novel — which PRECEDES the UK T. Precedence point: the US Boni & Liveright edition (1923) precedes the UK T.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- TRUE FIRST is the US Boni & Liveright edition, New York, 1923 — the first appearance of Lord Peter Wimsey and Sayers's debut novel — which PRECEDES the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition (also 1923)
- Defining first-state point: the title page reads 'Boni & Liveright' WITHOUT 'Inc.'; 'Inc.' was added in a later state once the omission was noticed, so the scarce first state lacks it
- Bound in blue cloth, lettered in black on the front cover and spine
- Publisher imprint reads Boni & Liveright
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dorothy L. Sayers |
| Publisher | Boni & Liveright |
| Year | 1923 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | TRUE FIRST is the US Boni & Liveright edition, New York, 1923 — the first appearance of Lord Peter Wimsey and Sayers's debut novel — which… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
TRUE FIRST is the US Boni & Liveright edition, New York, 1923 — the first appearance of Lord Peter Wimsey and Sayers's debut novel — which PRECEDES the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition (also 1923). Defining first-state point: the title page reads 'Boni & Liveright' WITHOUT 'Inc.'; 'Inc.' was added in a later state once the omission was noticed, so the scarce first state lacks it. Bound in blue cloth, lettered in black on the front cover and spine.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence point: the US Boni & Liveright edition (1923) precedes the UK T. Fisher Unwin edition (1923); the US is the accepted true world first of the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel, and the UK first is separately collected. The US is generally dated a few months ahead of the UK (even UK dealers note the title 'was first published in the States, in 1923').

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the first state by the title page reading 'Boni & Liveright' WITHOUT 'Inc.' (blue cloth, black lettering). A 1923 Boni & Liveright title page alone does not prove first state — the later state adds 'Inc.' Reprints and the UK Fisher Unwin edition carry their own imprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Whose Body?* by Dorothy L. Sayers a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/whose-body
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.