# Is "The Secret Adversary" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (The Bodley Head, 1922) is identified by: UK Bodley Head (John Lane), January 1922, priced the printed price. The UK Bodley Head edition (January 1922) precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition (March 1922) and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Bodley Head (John Lane), January 1922, priced the printed price
- Title page dated 1922 with no printing statement, and only The Mysterious Affair at Styles listed opposite the title page
- The US Dodd, Mead edition followed in March 1922
- First Tommy and Tuppence
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1922 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Bodley Head (John Lane), January 1922, priced the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Bodley Head (John Lane), January 1922, priced the printed price. Title page dated 1922 with no printing statement, and only The Mysterious Affair at Styles listed opposite the title page. The US Dodd, Mead edition followed in March 1922. First Tommy and Tuppence.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bodley Head edition (January 1922) precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition (March 1922) and is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Bodley Head reprints and subsequent Collins editions are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Secret Adversary* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-secret-adversary
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.