Is My Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (US: The Boomerang Clue) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• UK Collins Crime Club, September 1934, bound in orange boards lettered in black to the front board and spine
• The first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price to the spine and, when present, the scarce 'Crime Club' wrap-around promotional band
• Features the amateur sleuths Bobby Jones and Frankie Derwent
• Published in the US by Dodd, Mead in 1935 as The Boomerang Clue

How William Collins marked a first edition

• First editions either carry NO additional printing statement on the copyright page or state "First published [Year]" — practice was not fully consistent, so confirm with jacket/ad dating
• Later printings noted with impression lines; their absence supports a first

Full William Collins first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. 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.
5. 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?

The UK Collins printing is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition, under the variant title, followed in 1935.P-000612

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A condensed magazine version ran in the US in Redbook in 1933; the full-text UK book of 1934 remains the true first edition. Later Collins impressions and reprints follow.P-000613

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (US: The Boomerang Clue) a first edition?

A first edition of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (US: The Boomerang Clue) by Agatha Christie (William Collins) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club, September 1934, bound in orange boards lettered in black to the front board and spine.

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. The UK Collins printing is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition, under the variant title, followed in 1935.

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

A condensed magazine version ran in the US in Redbook in 1933; the full-text UK book of 1934 remains the true first edition. Later Collins impressions and reprints follow.

I have a first edition of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (US: The Boomerang Clue) — 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.