# Is "The Man in the Brown Suit" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (The Bodley Head, 1924) is identified by: First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane), 22 August 1924, in tan cloth stamped in brown; US Dodd, Mead followed later the same year. UK Bodley Head precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition; both dated 1924.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane), 22 August 1924, in tan cloth stamped in brown
- US Dodd, Mead followed later the same year
- Introduces Colonel Race
- 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 | First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane), 22 August 1924, in tan cloth… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane), 22 August 1924, in tan cloth stamped in brown; US Dodd, Mead followed later the same year. Introduces Colonel Race.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bodley Head precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition; both dated 1924.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints lack the original priced first-issue dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man in the Brown Suit* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-in-the-brown-suit
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.