Collectors of Christie’s full-length novels have plenty of accurate resources to reference to determine true first printings. However, short stories are much harder to collect as first hardback printings occasionally did not initially appear in omnibus collections - ones where all the stories were by Agatha Christie. Many true firsts of short stories appeared in anthologies – usually short stories from many different authors collected together. Many Christie collectors are unaware of these anthologies. I’ve already written numerous articles about such collectible anthologies – a summary of which is provided at the foot of this article. In this article, I look at an early anthology from 1929 that actually contains first book printings of two Christie stories.
The World’s 100 Best Detective Stories.
In 1929, Eugene Thwing edited a collection of detective stories that he claimed were the 100 best detective stories written to-date. Published only in the US by Funk & Wagnalls this anthology includes short stories from authors that have remained well-known and others who have faded into the shadows. He accurately foresaw this reality in the opening of his introduction where he states ‘What constitutes “the best one hundred detective stories” can never be decided beyond challenge. It will always be relative to the times, the tastes of the readers, and the popularity of the authors.’
He takes the position that the universal vogue of detective fiction as a genre began with Anna Green’s The Leavenworth Case in the US [1878] and Conan Doyles’ Sherlock Holmes [1887 onwards] in the UK. Amongst all of his assertions in the introduction my favourite is that ‘detective tales are a good tonic for tired nerves, and many overwrought business men are known to find relief in this absorbing type of fiction’.
The 100 selected stories are spread across ten volumes. They include stories such as Anthony Berkeley’s The Avenging Chance, H.C. Bailey’s The Little House, Alexandre Dumas’ D’Artagnan and the Duel and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone. However, it is Volume Four that is of particular note for collectors of Agatha Christie’s works as it contains the first book edition of two of her short stories – Philomel Cottage and The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly.
Philomel Cottage.
Philomel Cottage is one of Agatha Christie’s most successful short stories. She also adapted it into a play, titled ‘The Stranger’, which is different than the more familiar play to many ‘Love from a Stranger’ which was adapted by Frank Vosper. Vosper’s title was also used for the 1937 film version of the story starring Basil Rathbone and Ann Harding. Of note, while Rathbone had previously starred in the film adaption of Philo Vance’s The Bishop Murder Case, his role as Sherlock Holmes that cemented his legacy began several years after the filming of Christie’s Philomel Cottage.
The first magazine appearance of this short story was in The Grand Magazine (UK) in November 1924. However, the true first edition of this short story in a book was in the 1929 US anthology being discussed here – The World’s 100 Best Detective Stories. Two years later, in 1931, it appeared in a British anthology – My Best Detective Story – published by Faber & Faber. Its first appearance in an Agatha Christie omnibus collection was in The Listerdale Mystery, published by Collins (UK) in June 1934. It did not appear in an American omnibus collection until 1948 when Dodd Mead & Co. included it in The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories.
The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly.
The other Christie short story that appears in this 1929 anthology is The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly. Its first appearance was in The Sketch (UK) magazine in October 1923 under the slightly different title The Kidnapping of Johnny Waverly. In the US, its first magazine appearance was in The Blue Book Magazine in June 1925.
Its first appearance in an Agatha Christie omnibus collection was in Dodd Mead & Co.’s Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (USA, 1950). In the UK, this short story did not appear in a Christie omnibus collection until Poirot's Early Cases, published by Collins in 1974.
Collector’s Guide.
There are three known editions of this anthology. The first edition was printed in red cloth with a gold embossed design and lettering on its spine. Each of the ten volumes was originally issued in a dust jacket that was dark green and yellow on the front panel and solely yellow on the rear.
The first reprint was in green cloth, but still in ten volumes, while the second reprint, also in green cloth, reduced the anthology to a series of five volumes, each containing two parts. The books are widely available and thus were likely printed in a fairly large print run. Most jackets are heavily chipped when found. While many copies for sale include all ten volumes, many are missing several of the volumes so be careful reading listing discriptions. Collectors seeking just to acquire Volume Four may need to be patient, but individual volumes will appear for sale. However, for lovers of detective fiction in general will enjoy the stories found across all ten volumes. These volumes are very affordable, typical selling for $5-10 per volume or around $50 for the complete set. If shod in ‘very good’ jackets a small premium will be typical, but all in all, these are extremely affordable Agatha Christie first edition stories.
Prior Anthology Reviews:
The Best Detective Stories of the Year, Faber & Gwyer, UK, 1929: Contains the first Miss Marple story in book form (link).
Best Detective Stories of the Year - 1929, Faber & Faber, UK, 1930: Contains two short stories first printings - S.O.S. and The Third Floor Flat (link).
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror: 2nd Series (1931), Victor Gollanz, UK, 1931. Contains the Poirot short story The Adventure fo the Clapham Cook (link).
Many Mysteries, Rich & Cowan, UK, 1933: contains the first book printing of the Hercule Poirot story The Second Gong (link).
Six Redbook Novels, Redbook, USA, 1934: contains the first book printing of The Boomerang Clue (UK: Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?), though lightly abridged (link).
The Hospital Centenary Gift Book, Harrap & Co, UK, 1935: Contains the first UK hardback printing of The Veiled Lady (link).
Sporting Blood, Little, Brown & Co, Boston, USA, 1942: Contains the first stand-alone hardback printing of Poirot's The Chess Problem (link).
Fifth Mystery Book, Farrar & Rinehart, NY, USA, 1944: Contains the first hardback printing of Tape Measure Murder (link).
20th Century Detective Stories, World Publishing Co, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 1948: Contains the first hardback printings of two stories - The Double Clue and The Perfect Maid (link).
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