# Is "The Hound of Death" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie (Odhams Press, 1933) is identified by: UK Odhams Press, October 1933, a collection of twelve stories, mostly tales of fate and the supernatural rather than pure detection. The Odhams Press printing is the true and only contemporary first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Odhams Press, October 1933, a collection of twelve stories, mostly tales of fate and the supernatural rather than pure detection
- Notable as the first book appearance of Witness for the Prosecution
- Not published by Christie's usual house, Collins
- Publisher imprint reads Odhams Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | Odhams Press |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Odhams Press, October 1933, a collection of twelve stories, mostly tales of fate and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Odhams Press, October 1933, a collection of twelve stories, mostly tales of fate and the supernatural rather than pure detection. Notable as the first book appearance of Witness for the Prosecution. Not published by Christie's usual house, Collins.

## Is this the true first?
The Odhams Press printing is the true and only contemporary first. The first ordinary shop edition, from the Collins Crime Club, did not appear until February 1936.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
This was not a normal trade book: it was not sold in shops but obtained only by collecting coupons from the Odhams weekly magazine The Passing Show and sending them with a small payment. The Odhams printing is the true first; the 1936 Collins edition is a later, separate issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hound of Death* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hound-of-death
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.