# Is "They Came to Baghdad" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (William Collins Sons, 1951) is identified by: Standalone spy thriller set in Iraq. UK Collins Crime Club (March 1951) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition (later in 1951) by roughly six months.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Standalone spy thriller set in Iraq
- UK Collins Crime Club published 5 March 1951
- US Dodd, Mead edition followed later that year (around September 1951)
- UK first in orange cloth at the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins Sons |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Standalone spy thriller set in Iraq |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Standalone spy thriller set in Iraq. UK Collins Crime Club published 5 March 1951; US Dodd, Mead edition followed later that year (around September 1951). UK first in orange cloth at the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins Crime Club (March 1951) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition (later in 1951) by roughly six months.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Collins and Dodd, Mead printings and reprints follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *They Came to Baghdad* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/they-came-to-baghdad
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.