# Is "Prisoner's Base (UK: Out Goes She)" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Prisoner's Base (UK: Out Goes She) by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1952) is identified by: US Viking Press, 1952, first printing (published October 24, 1952); a Nero Wolfe novel of 186 pages, issued in the UK by Collins Crime Club as Out Goes She. The US Viking Press edition is the true first, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Viking Press, 1952, first printing (published October 24, 1952); a Nero Wolfe novel of 186 pages, issued in the UK by Collins Crime Club as Out Goes She
- Publisher's green cloth with the spine and front cover decorated in green, issued in a black, green and white dust wrapper with cover artwork by Bill English; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price, and book-club copies (which carry no flap price and are typically slightly taller and thinner) must be excluded
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Viking Press, 1952, first printing (published October 24, 1952); a Nero Wolfe novel of 186 pages, issued in the UK by Collins Crime Club… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Viking Press, 1952, first printing (published October 24, 1952); a Nero Wolfe novel of 186 pages, issued in the UK by Collins Crime Club as Out Goes She. Publisher's green cloth with the spine and front cover decorated in green, issued in a black, green and white dust wrapper with cover artwork by Bill English; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed flap price, and book-club copies (which carry no flap price and are typically slightly taller and thinner) must be excluded.

## 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
The Viking first is light-green boards (black lettering) with a copyright page reading 'first published' plus two more top lines; the book-club copy is black boards with a half-blank back flap and no the printed price flap price. No 'Book Club Edition' flap marking. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Prisoner's Base (UK: Out Goes She)* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/prisoners-base-uk-out-goes-she
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.