4 S. S. Van Dine first editions are documented on this shelf, from The Benson Murder Case (1926) to The Bishop Murder Case (1929). Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that S. S. Van Dine title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.
Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a S. S. Van Dine copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- The Benson Murder Case — 1926 · Charles Scribner's SonsUS Scribner first, 1926: the first-printing point for a Scribner book of this date is the Scribner seal on the copyright page together with the 1926 date matching the title page and no indication of a later printing. There is no 'A' on a genuine 1926 first. The first Philo Vance novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone, in publisher's cloth. The US Scribner 1926 is the true first. The UK Ernest Benn edition that followed is a first-thus. A later year on the copyright or title page, or the presence of an 'A' (Scribner did not adopt the 'A' first-edition marker until 1930), indicates a later printing. Grosset & Dunlap reprints are common inexpensive reprints.
- The "Canary" Murder Case — 1927 · Charles Scribner's SonsScribner's pre-1930 practice governs this book: until 1930 the Scribner seal (the publisher's device/colophon) and the date of publication generally appear on the copyright page of first editions, with subsequent printings noted — a rule the ILAB and Quill & Brush (qbbooks) tables state independently. CRITICAL TRAP: the famous Scribner capital "A" on the copyright page begins only in 1930. Its absence from a 1927…. US Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1927 is the first edition (Wikipedia's infobox gives Scribner's / 1927 / United States; an ABAA dealer catalogues the Scribner first printing). A UK edition was published by Ernest Benn Ltd., London, 1927 — confirmed by a dealer listing, and Benn is corroborated as Van Dine's early UK publisher by a Benn first edition of The Benson Murder Case, 1926. British Van Dine editions…. Grosset & Dunlap issued reprints of this title; a Grosset & Dunlap copy carries the Grosset imprint on the title page and spine rather than Scribner's and is not the first. On a Scribner copy, a later printing noted on the copyright page is the operative reprint tell.
- The Greene Murder Case — 1928 · Charles Scribner's SonsThe Scribner's seal appears at the foot of the copyright page, per Scribner's pre-1930 practice (seal plus date of publication on firsts; later printings noted); the Scribner 'A' was not used until 1930 and its absence is not a fault. A genuine state distinction is documented and independently reported: the first state has the title page dated MCMXXVIII with a matching copyright notice reading 'Copyright, 1928'…. The US edition — Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1928 — is the true first; the novel was serialized in Scribner's Magazine in early 1928 (the February 1928 issue is confirmed) ahead of book publication. The UK edition is Ernest Benn, London, 1928, the first English edition and separately collected; The Spectator reviewed the Benn edition on 5 May 1928, consistent with the US book preceding it. Benn issued a…. The Grosset & Dunlap photoplay edition of 1929, illustrated with eight stills from the William Powell film, is the common trap; any Grosset & Dunlap imprint is a reprint and lacks the Scribner seal. Note also that the original Scribner's Magazine serial parts (January–April 1928) are sometimes offered bound up and are not the book first edition.
- The Bishop Murder Case — 1929 · Charles Scribner's SonsThe Scribner's seal appears at the foot of the copyright page, with 1929 on both title page and copyright page and no later-printing notice — Scribner's documented pre-1930 practice; the Scribner 'A' was not introduced until 1930, so its absence does not disqualify a first. Binding is publisher's black cloth with Art-Deco stamping in blue to the front cover and spine, a small octavo collating viii, 349, [3] pp.…. The US edition — Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1929 — is the true first; the UK edition is Cassell and Company, London, 1929, the first English edition and separately collected. The Spectator reviewed the Cassell edition on 18 May 1929, consistent with the US book preceding it. Note the publisher change on the UK side: Van Dine's earlier titles were issued in Britain by Ernest Benn, but this one moved to…. Grosset & Dunlap reprints followed (some dated 1929), and the 1930 MGM film with Basil Rathbone prompted further reprint issues; any Grosset & Dunlap imprint at the foot of the title page marks a reprint, and such copies lack the Scribner seal. Pocket Books issued a paperback in 1945.
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