# Is "A Right to Die" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Right to Die by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1964) is identified by: First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, October 22, 1964 (182 pp., octavo). Stout was American and the book appeared first in the US; the Viking Press edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, October 22, 1964 (182 pp., octavo)
- A Nero Wolfe novel that brings back Paul Whipple from Too Many Cooks
- Bound in blue boards with a blue cloth spine, the front cover printed in dark blue and the spine lettered in black, with a dark blue top-stain; the rear cover is blank
- The pictorial dust jacket is printed in blue, red, black and white and should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, October 22, 1964 (182 pp., octavo) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, October 22, 1964 (182 pp., octavo). A Nero Wolfe novel that brings back Paul Whipple from Too Many Cooks. Bound in blue boards with a blue cloth spine, the front cover printed in dark blue and the spine lettered in black, with a dark blue top-stain; the rear cover is blank. The pictorial dust jacket is printed in blue, red, black and white and should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
Stout was American and the book appeared first in the US; the Viking Press edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Viking first is two-tone (light-blue boards with dark-blue lettering and a dark-blue spine) with a the printed price flap and 'Printed in the USA by Colonial Press'; the book-club copy is a single uniform blue and is taller and thinner. No 'Book Club Edition' flap marking. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Right to Die* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-right-to-die
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.