# Is "Partners in Crime" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1929) is identified by: US Dodd, Mead published August 1929 (277 pp); UK Collins followed 16 September 1929 (256 pp). The US Dodd, Mead edition (August 1929) precedes the UK Collins edition (16 September 1929) by about a month, so Dodd, Mead is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Dodd, Mead published August 1929 (277 pp)
- UK Collins followed 16 September 1929 (256 pp)
- Tommy and Tuppence short story collection
- The US Dodd, Mead printing has no statement of later printings on the copyright page; the UK Collins first is in black cloth with reddish-orange spine lettering
- Publisher imprint reads Dodd, Mead and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead and Company |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Dodd, Mead published August 1929 (277 pp) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Dodd, Mead published August 1929 (277 pp); UK Collins followed 16 September 1929 (256 pp). Tommy and Tuppence short story collection. The US Dodd, Mead printing has no statement of later printings on the copyright page; the UK Collins first is in black cloth with reddish-orange spine lettering.

## Is this the true first?
The US Dodd, Mead edition (August 1929) precedes the UK Collins edition (16 September 1929) by about a month, so Dodd, Mead is the true first edition. This is one of several Christie titles of this period that appeared first in America. The original record's claim that UK Collins is the true first is incorrect.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and book club editions follow; on the Dodd, Mead first there is no printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Partners in Crime* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/partners-in-crime
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.