The points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at 7/6. Note a genuine binding variant: first printings are found BOTH in the older black cloth with a 'Collins' spine imprint AND in orange cloth with a 'The Crime Club' spine imprint, reflecting Collins changing the imprint and cloth colour during production. First-issue jacket priced 7/6. The first novel to feature Miss Marple and St Mary Mead.
Is this the true first?
The UK Collins edition (October 1930) precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition (also 1930). The true first introduces Miss Marple in novel form.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Crime Club reprints reset the title page. Book-club copies lack the original jacket price and use thinner boards.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Murder at the Vicarage a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at 7/6. Note a genuine binding variant: first printings are found BOTH in the older black cloth with a 'Collins' spine imprint AND in orange cloth with a 'The Crime Club' spine imprint, reflecting Collins changing the imprint and cloth colour during production. First-issue jacket priced 7/6. The first novel to feature Miss Marple and St Mary Mead.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The UK Collins edition (October 1930) precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition (also 1930). The true first introduces Miss Marple in novel form.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Crime Club reprints reset the title page. Book-club copies lack the original jacket price and use thinner boards.
I have a first edition of The Murder at the Vicarage — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.