Books

Philadelphia: Curtis, 1933. First Edition. Wrappers. Very good. 6 vols. 1st appearance anywhere of Murder on the Orient Express, under its original title, Murder in the Calais Coach, in 6 issues of The Saturday Evening Post from Sep. 30 to Nov. 4, 1933 (illustrated by William Hoople). It precedes British serialization in Grand Magazine (Mar. to May 1934), and both book editions (London, Jan. 1, 1934, and NY, Feb. 28, 1934). Original wrappers, very good and well preserved, and these are fragile paper ephemera so any other set is likely to look like a plush toy washed on hot, and have a murky description ignoring its wounds, like The Black Knight in Monty Python, his arm cut off and gushing blood, saying, “Tis but a scratch.”. A rousing Christie showpiece circling an assassination on a moving train that soon becomes snowbound. There is a first–class coach filled with passengers using aliases, false clues, and convincing alibies, but it is a collaborative kabuki dance quickly…

Death in the Clouds, also known as 'Murder in the Air' in the US, is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie. The book features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who finds himself amidst a baffling murder investigation on board a commercial passenger flight. The narrative unfolds as Poirot, with his keen observational skills and methodical approach, attempts to solve the murder where anyone on the flight could be a suspect.

Original dust jacket features art by Brian Keogh, mentions '1935' on the inner flap, and does not include reviews.