# Is "The Father Hunt" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Father Hunt by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1968) is identified by: First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, first issued in hardcover May 28, 1968 (184 pp.). Stout was American and the book appeared first in the US; the Viking Press edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, first issued in hardcover May 28, 1968 (184 pp.)
- A Nero Wolfe novel
- Bound in red boards with a black cloth spine, the spine lettered in white and the front and rear covers blank, in a predominantly red pictorial dust jacket illustrated by Mel Williamson; the jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, first issued in hardcover May 28, 1968 (184 pp.) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition published by The Viking Press, New York, first issued in hardcover May 28, 1968 (184 pp.). A Nero Wolfe novel. Bound in red boards with a black cloth spine, the spine lettered in white and the front and rear covers blank, in a predominantly red pictorial dust jacket illustrated by Mel Williamson; the jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
Stout was American and the book appeared first in the US; the Viking Press edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The title and copyright pages are IDENTICAL between the two editions, so distinguish physically: the Viking first is red cloth with a black spine, white lettering, and black endpapers, and is thicker (~0.9") though slightly shorter (8.25" vs the book-club edition's 8.55"). No 'Book Club Edition' flap marking. (identification per rexstoutfirsts.com)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Father Hunt* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-father-hunt
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.