# Is "In the Teeth of the Evidence" by Dorothy L. Sayers a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L. Sayers (Victor Gollancz, 1939) is identified by: First edition published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1939, in original black cloth lettered in red on the spine; octavo. The UK Gollancz 1939 edition is the true first; the US Harcourt, Brace edition followed in 1940.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1939, in original black cloth lettered in red on the spine; octavo
- A story collection of Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg stories, the last of Sayers's crime-fiction volumes
- Issued in the characteristic Gollancz typographic dust wrapper (yellow paper, printed text only, no pictorial art), which should carry the printed price on the front flap
- As is common with Gollancz wrappers of this period, the jacket is prone to a small chip and browning at the head of the spine; the wrapper is scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dorothy L. Sayers |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1939 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1939, in original black cloth lettered in red on the spine; octavo |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1939, in original black cloth lettered in red on the spine; octavo. A story collection of Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg stories, the last of Sayers's crime-fiction volumes. Issued in the characteristic Gollancz typographic dust wrapper (yellow paper, printed text only, no pictorial art), which should carry the printed price on the front flap. As is common with Gollancz wrappers of this period, the jacket is prone to a small chip and browning at the head of the spine; the wrapper is scarce.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz 1939 edition is the true first; the US Harcourt, Brace edition followed in 1940.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow the first; the first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In the Teeth of the Evidence* by Dorothy L. Sayers a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-the-teeth-of-the-evidence
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.