# Is "Destination Unknown (US: So Many Steps to Death)" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Destination Unknown (US: So Many Steps to Death) by Agatha Christie (William Collins, Sons, 1954) is identified by: UK first: Collins Crime Club, 1 November 1954, as Destination Unknown, in red cloth with the spine lettered in black, issued in a typographical dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap (export copies are found with no price present). UK Collins Crime Club (1 November 1954) is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition appeared in 1955 under the variant title So Many Steps to Death.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first: Collins Crime Club, 1 November 1954, as Destination Unknown, in red cloth with the spine lettered in black, issued in a typographical dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap (export copies are found with no price present)
- US first: Dodd, Mead, 1955, under the variant title So Many Steps to Death
- This is a spy thriller, not a Poirot or Marple case
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins, Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins, Sons |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first: Collins Crime Club, 1 November 1954, as Destination Unknown, in red cloth with the spine lettered in black, issued in a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK first: Collins Crime Club, 1 November 1954, as Destination Unknown, in red cloth with the spine lettered in black, issued in a typographical dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap (export copies are found with no price present). US first: Dodd, Mead, 1955, under the variant title So Many Steps to Death. This is a spy thriller, not a Poirot or Marple case.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins Crime Club (1 November 1954) is the true first; the US Dodd, Mead edition appeared in 1955 under the variant title So Many Steps to Death.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and book-club editions follow the 1954 Collins first; the genuine first is the 1954 Collins printing in red cloth with the priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Destination Unknown (US: So Many Steps to Death)* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/destination-unknown-us-so-many-steps-to-death
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.