# Is "Third Girl" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Third Girl by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1966) is identified by: First edition published by the Collins Crime Club (London) in November 1966, a Poirot and Ariadne Oliver novel, 255,[1] pp., octavo (roughly 200 x 135 mm). The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition of 1967 by roughly a year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by the Collins Crime Club (London) in November 1966, a Poirot and Ariadne Oliver novel, 255,[1] pp., octavo (roughly 200 x 135 mm)
- The binding is red boards with the spine lettered in gilt
- The first-state dust jacket was designed by Kenneth Farnhill and carries the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by the Collins Crime Club (London) in November 1966, a Poirot and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition published by the Collins Crime Club (London) in November 1966, a Poirot and Ariadne Oliver novel, 255,[1] pp., octavo (roughly 200 x 135 mm). The binding is red boards with the spine lettered in gilt. The first-state dust jacket was designed by Kenneth Farnhill and carries the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Collins Crime Club edition is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition of 1967 by roughly a year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Collins impressions and book-club editions follow the first; check for the absence of later-impression statements and confirm the printed price Farnhill jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Third Girl* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/third-girl
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.