# Is "If Death Ever Slept" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1957) is identified by: Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, on 25 October 1957. 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, on 25 October 1957
- First edition bound in blue (grey-blue) cloth lettered in darker blue on the front board and spine, the rear cover blank, with a gold topstain
- Issued in a mainly black dust jacket designed by Bill English, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, on 25 October 1957 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, on 25 October 1957. First edition bound in blue (grey-blue) cloth lettered in darker blue on the front board and spine, the rear cover blank, with a gold topstain. Issued in a mainly black dust jacket designed by Bill English, with the printed price present on the front flap.

## 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
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 *If Death Ever Slept* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/if-death-ever-slept
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.