# Is "Meet Me at the Morgue (UK: Experience with Evil)" by Ross Macdonald (as John Ross Macdonald) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Meet Me at the Morgue (UK: Experience with Evil) by Ross Macdonald (as John Ross Macdonald) (Alfred A. Knopf, 1953) is identified by: Knopf, 1953, with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page (Bruccoli A9.1.a). The US Knopf edition (1953) is the true first; the UK Cassell edition appeared in 1954 under the retitle Experience with Evil.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alfred A. Knopf, 1953, with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page (Bruccoli A9.1.a)
- A non-Archer standalone bylined John Ross Macdonald, the pseudonym Kenneth Millar used at this period to separate his work from John D. MacDonald's
- Small octavo bound in yellow (red-and-yellow) patterned paper over boards, the spine lettered in black blocked in white, with a grey topstain
- The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Bill English; the printed price should be present on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ross Macdonald (as John Ross Macdonald) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Alfred A. Knopf, 1953, with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page (Bruccoli A9.1.a) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Alfred A. Knopf, 1953, with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page (Bruccoli A9.1.a). A non-Archer standalone bylined John Ross Macdonald, the pseudonym Kenneth Millar used at this period to separate his work from John D. MacDonald's. Small octavo bound in yellow (red-and-yellow) patterned paper over boards, the spine lettered in black blocked in white, with a grey topstain. The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Bill English; the printed price should be present on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf edition (1953) is the true first; the UK Cassell edition appeared in 1954 under the retitle Experience with Evil.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Knopf printings drop the 'FIRST EDITION' statement from the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Meet Me at the Morgue (UK: Experience with Evil)* by Ross Macdonald (as John Ross Macdonald) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/meet-me-at-the-morgue-uk-experience-with-evil
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.