# Is "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1926) is identified by: William Collins (pre-Crime-Club imprint), 1926. UK Collins 1926 is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead 1926.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Collins (pre-Crime-Club imprint), 1926
- Orange/red cloth
- Copyright/title page with 1926 date and no later-impression statement; ad listing of Christie titles ends at her then-current title
- Earliest issue confirmed by the advertisement leaf states
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | William Collins (pre-Crime-Club imprint), 1926 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
William Collins (pre-Crime-Club imprint), 1926. Orange/red cloth. Copyright/title page with 1926 date and no later-impression statement; ad listing of Christie titles ends at her then-current title. Earliest issue confirmed by the advertisement leaf states.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins 1926 is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead 1926. The landmark twist novel; the UK first is the prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Collins printings carry impression statements; US Dodd Mead is the separate American first. Club reprints are obviously later by imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Murder of Roger Ackroyd* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-murder-of-roger-ackroyd
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.