THE MOVING FINGER

First UK edition, first printing. Publisher's original orange cloth with black titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. An excellent near fine copy, the binding square and firm with the usual softening at the spine tips and a little rubbing at the extremities. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper which has a little spotting to the rear panel and a short closed tear to the bottom edge of the front panel. Correctly priced 7s 6d net to the front flap. An exceptional example.

The author considered 'The Moving Finger', in which Miss Marple makes an appearance, one of her best novels. The book takes its name from verse 51 of Edward FitzGerald's translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a poem which Agatha Christie greatly admired. The first UK edition was published by Collins in June 1943, preceded by the American (Dodd, Mead and Co.) edition of July 1942. (Hubin; Wagstaff & Poole; Curran, John: The Hooded Gunman).