Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$1602.48 + shipping
Description: [Crime fiction] U.S. Second edition, prior to the British edition. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.296; [4], blank, being the John Lane first edition sheets with National's own title page (which is a cancel). Publisher's pale blue cloth decoratively blocked in blue. No ink inscriptions, contents generally clean, title leaf toned (printed on different paper stock), rear joint pulled. Covers are mottled/spotted, spine with an area of browning, rubbed to spine ends and extremities. A good-very good copy of a rare book. A most uncommon and important edition of her debut novel, which precedes the first London edition (Bodley Head, 1921). The first U.S. edition was issued by John Lane (1920). The book was not a best-seller and they published no further Christie titles (Dodd Mead released her second and subsequent books with much success, and also bought her first title from Lane). Indeed, such was the lukewarm initial response, John Lane moved some of their unsold sheets to Ryerson Press of Toronto (for the Canadian first edition), and the remainder were sold cheaply to National Book Co. later that year (per the present copy). The first U.K. edition did not appeared until 1921, published by Bodley Head.
Seller: Adrian Harrington Ltd, PBFA, ABA, ILAB, Royal Tunbridge Wells, KENT, United Kingdom
Christie, Agatha. THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. The Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1920.
Price: US$4000.00 + shipping
Description: First Canadian edition of the AUTHOR'S FIRST BOOK and first to feature Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot. Issued from sheets of the true first edition (NY; John Lane, 1920) and preceding the London edition (Bodley Head, 1921). We record only one other copy offered for sale and are able to locate only one copy in libraries. Recased with new endpapers added, lettering touched up and cloth coated. Spine a little tanned otherwise near fine. Housed in matching clamshell case lined in silk. Rare. THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF POIROT
Seller: Quill & Brush, member ABAA, Middletown, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$10100.50 + shipping
Description: THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, John Lane, New York, 1920, first edition, several leaves with some smallish light brown stains, else a fine copy rebound in full tan calf with very nice text block and with gold gilt stamping to the spine and front cover matching the original binding design. The authors first novel and quite scarce in the true first edition as is here.
Seller: THE FINE BOOKS COMPANY / A.B.A.A / 1979, ROCHESTER, MI, U.S.A.