AFTER THE FUNERAL

First UK edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Publisher's original orange cloth with black titles to spine, in the Dennis Beytagh illustrated dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little bumping and rubbing to the extremities, the cloth mildly toned to the spine and with a small black mark to the rear board. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' marks. The closed text block edges are ever so slightly spotted and toned. Complete with the supplied, lightly rubbed and nicked first printing dustwrapper, that is toned to the spine and panel edges and has a couple of short closed tears (wthout loss) at the top edge of the rear panel. Not price-clipped (10s 6d net to the lower front flap).

Signed by Agatha Christie in blue ink on the front endpaper. Scarce thus. The 25th Hercule Poirot novel. Uniquely for this publisher, the first edition is dated to the rear of the book as opposed to the reverse of the title page as in every other Crime Club publication. First published in America by Dodd, Mead and Company under the title "Funerals are Fatal" a couple of months earlier. The basis for the 1963 George Pollock directed MGM film "Murder at the Gallop" which replaced Hercule Poirot with Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford taking the lead role. The 2006 ITV television adaptation returned the Belgian detective to his rightful place, starring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Michael Fassbender as George. (Hubin; Wagstaff & Poole; Curran, John: The Hooded Gunman).