# Is "Murder in Mesopotamia" by Agatha Christie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1936) is identified by: UK Collins Crime Club, London, published 6 July 1936, is the first edition. UK Collins Crime Club (6 July 1936) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition later the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins Crime Club, London, published 6 July 1936, is the first edition
- Bound in the publisher's orange cloth with the spine lettered in black, and issued with four pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear
- The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Robin Macartney, the architect-painter who accompanied Christie and her husband Max Mallowan on their Near Eastern archaeological expeditions; the correct jacket carries the printed the printed price on the front flap
- Features Hercule Poirot
- The US Dodd, Mead edition followed later the same year
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Agatha Christie |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins Crime Club, London, published 6 July 1936, is the first edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins Crime Club, London, published 6 July 1936, is the first edition. Bound in the publisher's orange cloth with the spine lettered in black, and issued with four pages of publisher's advertisements at the rear. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Robin Macartney, the architect-painter who accompanied Christie and her husband Max Mallowan on their Near Eastern archaeological expeditions; the correct jacket carries the printed the printed price on the front flap. Features Hercule Poirot. The US Dodd, Mead edition followed later the same year.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins Crime Club (6 July 1936) is the true first, preceding the US Dodd, Mead edition later the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book Club editions are distinguished from the first printing by the jacket, which lacks the printed price on the front flap and carries a 'Book Club Edition' imprint; later reprints otherwise follow the 1936 setting.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Murder in Mesopotamia* by Agatha Christie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/murder-in-mesopotamia
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.