# Is "Clutch of Constables" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Clutch of Constables by Ngaio Marsh (Collins, 1968) is identified by: Collins, The Crime Club, London, 1968, is the true first: an octavo of about 253 pages in red linen boards with gilt titling and the Crime Club gunman insignia stamped to the spine, and pictorial crime-map endpapers. True first is the UK Collins Crime Club edition of 1968, preceding the US Little, Brown edition of 1969.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collins, The Crime Club, London, 1968, is the true first: an octavo of about 253 pages in red linen boards with gilt titling and the Crime Club gunman insignia stamped to the spine, and pictorial crime-map endpapers
- The pictorial dust jacket is by Kenneth Farnhill and should retain its printed net price on the front inner flap (present regardless of any later clipping); fading to the red at the upper front corner and spine is a common condition point
- The 25th Roderick Alleyn novel, featuring Alleyn and Troy
- The US Little, Brown edition followed in 1969
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collins, The Crime Club, London, 1968, is the true first: an octavo of about 253 pages in red linen boards with gilt titling and the Crime… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Collins, The Crime Club, London, 1968, is the true first: an octavo of about 253 pages in red linen boards with gilt titling and the Crime Club gunman insignia stamped to the spine, and pictorial crime-map endpapers. The pictorial dust jacket is by Kenneth Farnhill and should retain its printed net price on the front inner flap (present regardless of any later clipping); fading to the red at the upper front corner and spine is a common condition point. The 25th Roderick Alleyn novel, featuring Alleyn and Troy. The US Little, Brown edition followed in 1969.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the UK Collins Crime Club edition of 1968, preceding the US Little, Brown edition of 1969.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue affects the UK true first; later printings and the US edition follow their respective first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Clutch of Constables* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/clutch-of-constables
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.