# Is "The Rose and the Yew Tree" by Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Rose and the Yew Tree by Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie) (Rinehart, 1948) is identified by: The fourth of six Westmacott novels and the last published before Christie's authorship of the pen name was publicly revealed in 1949. The US edition (early 1948) precedes the UK Heinemann edition (November 1948), so the US printing is the true first, not the UK Heinemann edition as originally recorded.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The fourth of six Westmacott novels and the last published before Christie's authorship of the pen name was publicly revealed in 1949
- The US edition appeared in early 1948 (the story had been serialized in Good Housekeeping in December 1947 and January 1948); the UK William Heinemann edition followed in November 1948
- Note the UK publisher is Heinemann, not Collins
- Publisher imprint reads Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie) |
| Publisher | Rinehart |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The fourth of six Westmacott novels and the last published before Christie's authorship… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The fourth of six Westmacott novels and the last published before Christie's authorship of the pen name was publicly revealed in 1949. The US edition appeared in early 1948 (the story had been serialized in Good Housekeeping in December 1947 and January 1948); the UK William Heinemann edition followed in November 1948. Note the UK publisher is Heinemann, not Collins.

## Is this the true first?
The US edition (early 1948) precedes the UK Heinemann edition (November 1948), so the US printing is the true first, not the UK Heinemann edition as originally recorded. Sources cite the US publisher variously as Farrar and Rinehart or Rinehart; the firm was in transition around this date, so the exact imprint wording on the title page should be confirmed against a copy in hand.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow the 1948 first editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Rose and the Yew Tree* by Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-rose-and-the-yew-tree
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.