# Is "The Murder at the Vicarage" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (William Collins Sons / Crime Club, 1930) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at the printed price. The UK Collins edition (October 1930) precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition (also 1930).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at the printed price
- 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 the printed price
- The first novel to feature Miss Marple and St Mary Mead
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins Sons / Crime Club
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins Sons / Crime Club |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club first edition, published 20 October 1930, retailing at the printed price. 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 the printed price. 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Murder at the Vicarage* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-murder-at-the-vicarage
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.