# Is "A Family Affair" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Family Affair by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1975) is identified by: Viking Press, New York, 1975 first printing. The US Viking Press edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking Press, New York, 1975 first printing
- The last Nero Wolfe novel, published shortly before Stout's death
- Quarter black cloth over blue paper boards, spine stamped in gold and blue, in a mainly black dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking Press, New York, 1975 first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Viking Press, New York, 1975 first printing. The last Nero Wolfe novel, published shortly before Stout's death. Quarter black cloth over blue paper boards, spine stamped in gold and blue, in a mainly black dust jacket.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Viking first has a black front flap with a the printed price and short-form 'Printed in USA' on the copyright page (0.75 x 5.6 x 8.2"); the book-club copy is thinner and taller (0.6 x 5.7 x 8.55"). No 'Book Club Edition' flap marking. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Family Affair* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-family-affair
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.