# Is "Death in the Clouds (US: Death in the Air)" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death in the Clouds (US: Death in the Air) by Agatha Christie (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1935) is identified by: US Dodd, Mead, New York, published 10 March 1935 as Death in the Air PRECEDED the UK Collins Crime Club edition (July 1935) titled Death in the Clouds. CORRECTION: the record claimed UK Collins was the true first, but the US Dodd, Mead edition (10 March 1935, as Death in the Air) actually preceded the UK Collins edition (July 1935).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Dodd, Mead, New York, published 10 March 1935 as Death in the Air PRECEDED the UK Collins Crime Club edition (July 1935) titled Death in the Clouds
- This is another case where the US edition is the true first
- Features Hercule Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp
- Publisher imprint reads Dodd, Mead and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead and Company |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Dodd, Mead, New York, published 10 March 1935 as Death in the Air PRECEDED the UK… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Dodd, Mead, New York, published 10 March 1935 as Death in the Air PRECEDED the UK Collins Crime Club edition (July 1935) titled Death in the Clouds. This is another case where the US edition is the true first. Features Hercule Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp.

## Is this the true first?
CORRECTION: the record claimed UK Collins was the true first, but the US Dodd, Mead edition (10 March 1935, as Death in the Air) actually preceded the UK Collins edition (July 1935). The US is the true first - an exception to the usual UK-first rule, like Murder in Three Acts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints follow the 1935 first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death in the Clouds (US: Death in the Air)* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-in-the-clouds-us-death-in-the-air
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.