# Is "Death Comes as the End" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1944) is identified by: The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, October 1944), 223 pp, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition (March 1945), 160 pp. The true first is US Dodd, Mead (October 1944), preceding UK Collins (March 1945).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, October 1944), 223 pp, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition (March 1945), 160 pp
- Ancient-Egypt setting (Thebes, 11th dynasty); no series detective
- Publisher imprint reads Dodd, Mead and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead and Company |
| Year | 1944 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, October 1944), 223 pp, preceding the UK… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, October 1944), 223 pp, preceding the UK Collins Crime Club edition (March 1945), 160 pp. Ancient-Egypt setting (Thebes, 11th dynasty); no series detective.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is US Dodd, Mead (October 1944), preceding UK Collins (March 1945).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow the first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death Comes as the End* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-comes-as-the-end
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.