# Is "The Final Deduction" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Final Deduction by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1961) is identified by: A Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, in 1961; octavo, 182 pages. US Viking edition is the true first; Stout was an American author published first in the United States.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- A Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, in 1961; octavo, 182 pages
- The first edition is bound in red cloth with the front cover and spine printed in blue and with a blue topstain, and carries the Viking logo to the upper board
- It is issued in a mainly red dust wrapper with jacket art by Bill English
- A first-issue jacket should show the printed price on the flap (unclipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | A Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, in 1961; octavo, 182 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
A Nero Wolfe novel published by The Viking Press, New York, in 1961; octavo, 182 pages. The first edition is bound in red cloth with the front cover and spine printed in blue and with a blue topstain, and carries the Viking logo to the upper board. It is issued in a mainly red dust wrapper with jacket art by Bill English. A first-issue jacket should show the printed price on the flap (unclipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Viking edition is the true first; Stout was an American author published first in the United States.

## 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 *The Final Deduction* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-final-deduction
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.