# Is "Death and the Dancing Footman" by Ngaio Marsh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh (Collins, 1942) is identified by: An Inspector Alleyn mystery. The true first is the US Little, Brown edition (Boston, 1941), preceding the UK Collins edition (1942).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- An Inspector Alleyn mystery
- The US Little, Brown edition (Boston, 1941) precedes the UK Collins Crime Club edition (London, 1942) by about a year; the 1941 American printing is the earliest published state
- The wartime UK Collins first is a Crime Club title issued under paper-economy standards
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngaio Marsh |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | An Inspector Alleyn mystery |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
An Inspector Alleyn mystery. The US Little, Brown edition (Boston, 1941) precedes the UK Collins Crime Club edition (London, 1942) by about a year; the 1941 American printing is the earliest published state. The wartime UK Collins first is a Crime Club title issued under paper-economy standards.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the US Little, Brown edition (Boston, 1941), preceding the UK Collins edition (1942). Confirmed against the author's official bibliography, which records 'Boston, 1941; London, 1942'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club printings follow the first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death and the Dancing Footman* by Ngaio Marsh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-and-the-dancing-footman
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.