# Is "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1960) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club story collection, published 24 October 1960 as 'The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees.' No contemporary US collection under this title; the stories appeared piecemeal in US volumes (the title story ran in the US as 'The Theft of the Royal Ruby' in Double Sin and Other Stories, 1961). The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; this is a UK-only collection with no matching US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins Crime Club story collection, published 24 October 1960 as 'The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees.' No contemporary US collection under this title; the stories appeared piecemeal in US volumes (the title story ran in the US as 'The Theft of the Royal Ruby' in Double Sin and Other Stories, 1961)
- Features both Poirot and Marple
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins Crime Club story collection, published 24 October 1960 as 'The Adventure of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club story collection, published 24 October 1960 as 'The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrees.' No contemporary US collection under this title; the stories appeared piecemeal in US volumes (the title story ran in the US as 'The Theft of the Royal Ruby' in Double Sin and Other Stories, 1961). Features both Poirot and Marple.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first; this is a UK-only collection with no matching US edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-adventure-of-the-christmas-pudding
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.