# Is "A Caribbean Mystery" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1964) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club, 16 November 1964, is the first edition, 256 pages. UK Collins Crime Club (16 November 1964) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition by a year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins Crime Club, 16 November 1964, is the first edition, 256 pages
- Binding is the publisher's red and black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt
- The pictorial dust jacket was designed by Kenneth Farnhill and carries the printed UK retail price, which should be present on an unclipped example
- A Miss Marple novel; the US Dodd, Mead edition followed in 1965
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins Crime Club, 16 November 1964, is the first edition, 256 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club, 16 November 1964, is the first edition, 256 pages. Binding is the publisher's red and black cloth with the spine lettered in gilt. The pictorial dust jacket was designed by Kenneth Farnhill and carries the printed UK retail price, which should be present on an unclipped example. A Miss Marple novel; the US Dodd, Mead edition followed in 1965.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins Crime Club (16 November 1964) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition by a year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Collins impressions and book-club editions follow the first; a genuine first is the 1964 Collins printing in the first-issue Farnhill dust jacket with the printed price intact.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Caribbean Mystery* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-caribbean-mystery
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.