# Is "Poirot Investigates" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (The Bodley Head, 1924) is identified by: Short-story collection first published in the UK by The Bodley Head, March 1924, containing eleven stories, with a W. The eleven-story UK Bodley Head edition is the true first; the fourteen-story US Dodd, Mead 1925 edition is a distinct first-thus for its added contents.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Short-story collection first published in the UK by The Bodley Head, March 1924, containing eleven stories, with a W. Smithson Broadhead jacket illustration of Poirot
- The US Dodd, Mead edition of 1925 adds three further stories, making it a distinct first-thus in content
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1924 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Short-story collection first published in the UK by The Bodley Head, March 1924… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Short-story collection first published in the UK by The Bodley Head, March 1924, containing eleven stories, with a W. Smithson Broadhead jacket illustration of Poirot. The US Dodd, Mead edition of 1925 adds three further stories, making it a distinct first-thus in content.

## Is this the true first?
The eleven-story UK Bodley Head edition is the true first; the fourteen-story US Dodd, Mead 1925 edition is a distinct first-thus for its added contents.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Poirot Investigates* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/poirot-investigates
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.