THE HOUND OF DEATH AND OTHER STORIES. Comprising: The Hound of Death; The Red Signal; The Fourth Man; The Gypsy; The Lamp; Wireless; The Witness for the Prosecution; The Mystery of the Blue Jar; The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael; The Call of Wings; The Last Seance; SOS.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original deep purple cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and tight, the corners sharp and with just a little bumping at the spine tips. The cloth whilst fresh, shows some bleaching of the colour, and oxidization of the titles to the spine, as is common with this title. The contents, spotted to the prelims and closed text block edge, are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the better than very good, rubbed and nicked dustwrapper that remains bright, with just a couple of short closed tears with associated creasing, and some darkening to the fold edges. An attractive example.

The true first printing of this collection of twelve short stories in book form, notable for the first publication of 'The Witness for the Prosecution'. While not a rare book, having been produced by Odhams in substantial numbers, it is bibliographically unusual. The volume was never offered for retail sale; instead, copies were obtainable only by collecting coupons from issues 81, 82, and 83 of 'The Passing Show' magazine (published on 7, 14, and 21 October 1933) and submitting them, together with a payment of seven shillings, directly to the publisher, who supplied the book by return post. The promotion was evidently highly successful, with the result that 'The Hound of Death' is today the most readily obtainable pre-war UK Christie in first edition, even in its dustwrapper. However, the book's relatively inexpensive production means that the majority of surviving copies are heavily worn, torn, and foxed. It was not until February 1936 that Collins reissued the collection under 'The Crime Club' imprint at a price of 3/6 net, that the book was available for purchase in bookshops.