# Is "Three Doors to Death" by Rex Stout a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Three Doors to Death by Rex Stout (Viking Press, 1950) is identified by: Viking Press, New York, 1950, first printing. US Viking edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking Press, New York, 1950, first printing
- Nero Wolfe novella collection gathering three shorter works (Man Alive, Omit Flowers, Door to Death)
- First-edition binding is green cloth with front cover and spine printed in black, blank rear cover; issued in a mainly reddish-orange dust wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rex Stout |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking Press, New York, 1950, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Viking Press, New York, 1950, first printing. Nero Wolfe novella collection gathering three shorter works (Man Alive, Omit Flowers, Door to Death). First-edition binding is green cloth with front cover and spine printed in black, blank rear cover; issued in a mainly reddish-orange dust wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking edition is the true first. The UK edition followed later.

## 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 *Three Doors to Death* by Rex Stout a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/three-doors-to-death
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.