# Is "Champagne for One" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Champagne for One by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1958) is identified by: Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1958 (184 pages). The US Viking Press edition is the true first, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1958 (184 pages)
- First edition bound in black cloth with the front cover and spine printed in purple and the rear cover blank, issued in a mainly black dust jacket designed by Bill English
- The printed price should be present on the front flap (a copy may be price-clipped without losing first-edition status)
- 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 | Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1958 (184 pages) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, 1958 (184 pages). First edition bound in black cloth with the front cover and spine printed in purple and the rear cover blank, issued in a mainly black dust jacket designed by Bill English. The printed price should be present on the front flap (a copy may be price-clipped without losing first-edition status).

## Is this the true first?
The US Viking Press edition is the true first, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The title-page date '1958' and the champagne-glass spine device (black cloth with a pink pattern, three-line Viking back flap) mark the Viking first; the book-club copy is plain pink with a near-blank back flap and runs about a quarter-inch taller. No 'Book Club Edition' flap marking. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Champagne for One* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/champagne-for-one
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.