# Is "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Curtain: Poirot's Last Case by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1975) is identified by: First published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1975; the US Dodd, Mead edition followed the same year. The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition appeared later the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1975; the US Dodd, Mead edition followed the same year
- Written during the Second World War and held in a bank vault for over thirty years; depicts Poirot's death
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1975; the US Dodd, Mead… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in September 1975; the US Dodd, Mead edition followed the same year. Written during the Second World War and held in a bank vault for over thirty years; depicts Poirot's death.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition appeared later the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Dodd, Mead and later paperback editions follow the UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Curtain: Poirot's Last Case* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/curtain-poirots-last-case
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.