Rex Stout books were published in Great Britain by Collins Crime Club, 48 volumes in all, starting with Too Many Cooks in 1938.
James M Pickard, ABA, ILAB, PBFA (www.JAMESMPICKARD.com) shared some valuable information with me, regarding Collins Crime Club first editions, that I am passing on to you:
"If yours is not priced the correct amount it is a reprint (likely a cheap edition). The English Catalogue of Books has titles published at the correct amount. I believe that at the end of the war un-sold first editions were reduced in price by Collins and sold as cheap editions (at either 4/- or 3s 6d). These cheap editions ere not first editions. Of course, if your book is dated, it is likely to be a first edition book but the dustwrapper may be from a cheap edition. I am fortunate to have a record in the English Catalogue of Books (published on a yearly basis) that enables me to confirm with 100% certainty the correct first issue price on the dustwrapper, the number of pages, the size of the book and the month of publication. The unpriced UK first editions were exported mostly to Europe just after WW2. They seem to turn up fairly frequently in Sweden for some reason. They are regarded as being of greater interest than the Cheap Editions but not in the same league as the correctly-priced UK first editions. During WW2 these were sold at the full price of 7/6 in the UK."
Here we have the covers, with photographic evidence for identifying first editions if you click on the cover photo. Contact Us
