Is My The Secret of Chimneys a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd), London, June 1925, at the printed price
• US Dodd, Mead followed later the same year
• Introduces Superintendent Battle in his debut appearance
• The UK first is bound in publisher's light blue cloth, lettered in black on the front and spine, with the top edge stained blue, and collates x, [2], 306, [2] pages
• The recognised first-issue point is the two pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear; on a first-state dust jacket the flaps carry not a specially written blurb but advertisements for five other Bodley Head Christie titles together with short review quotations, and the jacket retains its printed price
• This first printing was not reprinted; the cheaper 'popular' second edition appeared in 1927 at the printed price

How The Bodley Head marked a first edition

• Modern Bodley Head (Random House / Penguin Random House sibling) uses a printer's number line; the lowest digit present (a line ending in or containing 1) indicates a first printing

Full The Bodley Head first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Bodley Head precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition; both dated 1925. This was the last title under Christie's original six-book Bodley Head contract.P-000563

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later reprints follow the first edition. Note the 1927 Bodley Head 'popular' edition and the US Dodd, Mead printing are distinct from the June 1925 Bodley Head first with its two rear advert leaves and blue top-stain.P-000564

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Secret of Chimneys a first edition?

A first edition of The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie (The Bodley Head) is identified by: First published in the UK by The Bodley Head (John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd), London, June 1925, at the printed price; US Dodd, Mead followed later the same year.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. UK Bodley Head precedes the US Dodd, Mead edition; both dated 1925.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later reprints follow the first edition. Note the 1927 Bodley Head 'popular' edition and the US Dodd, Mead printing are distinct from the June 1925 Bodley Head first with its two rear advert leaves and blue top-stain.

I have a first edition of The Secret of Chimneys — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.