# Is "The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1942) is identified by: The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, February 1942), which preceded the UK Collins Crime Club edition (May 1942). Corrected: the true first is US Dodd, Mead (February 1942), preceding UK Collins (May 1942) — not the UK edition as originally stated.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, February 1942), which preceded the UK Collins Crime Club edition (May 1942)
- Wartime rationing delayed UK production
- Miss Marple
- Publisher imprint reads Dodd, Mead and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead and Company |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, February 1942), which preceded the UK… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is the US edition (Dodd, Mead, February 1942), which preceded the UK Collins Crime Club edition (May 1942). Wartime rationing delayed UK production. Miss Marple.

## Is this the true first?
Corrected: the true first is US Dodd, Mead (February 1942), preceding UK Collins (May 1942) — not the UK edition as originally stated.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Body in the Library* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-body-in-the-library
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.