# Is "Dumb Witness (US: Poirot Loses a Client)" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dumb Witness (US: Poirot Loses a Client) by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1937) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club, 5 July 1937, is the first edition. The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition is a separate American first under the changed title.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins Crime Club, 5 July 1937, is the first edition
- US Dodd, Mead published the American first later in 1937 under the variant title Poirot Loses a Client
- A Hercule Poirot novel, narrated by Captain Hastings
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1937 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins Crime Club, 5 July 1937, is the first edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club, 5 July 1937, is the first edition. US Dodd, Mead published the American first later in 1937 under the variant title Poirot Loses a Client. A Hercule Poirot novel, narrated by Captain Hastings.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition is a separate American first under the changed title.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dumb Witness (US: Poirot Loses a Client)* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dumb-witness-us-poirot-loses-a-client
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.