Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Agatha Christie. The Secret Adversary. John Lane, The Bodley Head Ltd., London, 1922.
Price: US$1276.35 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The book has been rebound in green cloth with the original cloth from front and rear boards retained on the new binding. New endpapers. Slight browning to the edge of pages and occasional marks and blemishes throughout. First edition with roman numerals to title page.
Seller: Moriarty's, Grimsby, LINCO, United Kingdom
Price: US$4499.99 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: AGATHA CHRISTIE - THE SECRET ADVERSARY, published by UK publisher Bodley Head/John Lane, copyright 1922, First Printing (no date to copyright page, 1922 date on title page, ragged right and bottom page block), only lists "The Mysterious Affair At Styles" to left of title page, white endpapers, dark greenish black cloth boards with light bluish green lettering & art deco boarder design to spine & front board. Book has neo crease page corner, former owner's name/address to ffe otherwise no former owner or used bookstore markings/stamps inside, clean endpapers with no markings or tape residue, no foxing to pages, endpapers, or outer page edges, slight dust soiling/age darkening to outer page edges (no foxing), faint moisture outline mark to top outer page edge, no tears/repairs to internal hinges, tight flat pages, almost no spine sun darkening, no cloth wear-through to board edges or board corners, slight wear to spine tips, no tears to exterior hinges, faint water spot marks to boards (only noticable when book held at an angle) otherwise almost no dust/handling discoloration to boards, otherwise no soiling stains/discoloration to boards. Book also comes with a color facsimile of the UK Bodley Head issue Dust jacket to provide protection from damage and to improve its appearance on a shelf. Overall a VG+/FINE- book of a very rare 1920s era UK Bodley Head/John Lane Agatha Christie U.K. first printing of her 2nd book. I have a number of other U.K. and U.S. Agatha Christie 1st printing hardcover books up for sale.
Seller: Far North Collectible Books, Anchorage, AK, U.S.A.
Price: US$5772.43 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Agatha Christie (1922) The Secret Adversary, UK first edition, first printing, published by The Bodley Head. Accompanied by an original typed letter signed by Christie as Agatha Mallowan. The book: in very good condition and well preserved for a book from 1922. There are no previous owners scribbles, no names, no bookplates, no stamps. The lettering on the spine is clearly legible and not rubbed out. The front boards ornaments are there with just a little rubbing. Rear board is clean. Usual shelf wear to edges. Page block edges not foxed, toned commensurate with age. Internally faint foxing spots here and there such as on our sample image of page 55. The original dust jacket is not present. However, we do provide a facsimile dust jacket which presents and protects the book on the shelf nicely. Those early Christie original dust jackets are exceptionally scarce and add considerable sums to the price. The letter: one page, 8vo, on Christies stationary paper with Winterbrook House header, dated 18th February 1972 [exactly fifty years after The Secret Adversarys publication in 1922]. In the letter to John Higgins, Christie counts that by then she had published 81 books, the same number as her age. She further says that she know nothing about the exact number of sales, but notes that they increase every year. She signs as Agatha Mallowan. John Dalby Higgins (1934-1999) was a journalist and Arts Editor for The Times (1970-1988). In 1972 he asked Christie whether she would be willing to serve a judge for a Times short story competition to which Christie agreed. Higgins needed from Christie some background information to introduce her to the readership. Hence, this letter. In fine condition with two paperclip indentations to the top left corner as shown. The Secret Adversary is Dame Agatha Christies second novel only preceeded by The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1921). It was received well upon publication. A first German film adaptation followed in 1929 (silent film called Die Abenteurer G.m.b.H.). A TV adaptation follows in 1983 and as recently as 2014 produced by the BBC. First and Fine
Seller: First and Fine, Birmingham, United Kingdom