# Is "And Four to Go (UK: Crime and Again)" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of And Four to Go (UK: Crime and Again) by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1958) is identified by: Collection of four Nero Wolfe novellas (Christmas Party, Easter Parade, Fourth of July Picnic, Murder Is No Joke) published by The Viking Press, New York, April 1958; subtitled A Nero Wolfe Foursome. The US Viking Press edition is the true first; the UK Collins Crime Club edition, titled Crime and Again, followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collection of four Nero Wolfe novellas (Christmas Party, Easter Parade, Fourth of July Picnic, Murder Is No Joke) published by The Viking Press, New York, April 1958; subtitled A Nero Wolfe Foursome
- First edition in blue cloth lettered in red on front and spine, issued in a mainly brick-red dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collection of four Nero Wolfe novellas (Christmas Party, Easter Parade, Fourth of July Picnic, Murder Is No Joke) published by The Viking… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Collection of four Nero Wolfe novellas (Christmas Party, Easter Parade, Fourth of July Picnic, Murder Is No Joke) published by The Viking Press, New York, April 1958; subtitled A Nero Wolfe Foursome. First edition in blue cloth lettered in red on front and spine, issued in a mainly brick-red dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US Viking Press edition is the true first; the UK Collins Crime Club edition, titled Crime and Again, followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
For Rex Stout's Viking titles the copyright page does not separate a true first from the book-club edition — Viking printed no edition statement or number line, and no 'Book Club Edition' marking appears on the flap. Identify the Viking first by its priced dust jacket (flap price + 'The Viking Press New York' imprint or ship colophon), the printer imprint on the copyright page (usually Colonial Press), the per-title binding and spine device, and the book-club copy's roughly quarter-inch greater height. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *And Four to Go (UK: Crime and Again)* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/and-four-to-go-uk-crime-and-again
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.