Collecting Christie's 1920s USA Grosset Editions
- David Morris
- Jul 20, 2019
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 16
Updated: 2026
Correct first editions in the USA from the 1920s can be very expensive and quite challenging to find up to, and including, The Big Four. The last three true US firsts from the 20s are more common (especially The Mystery of the Blue Train) but can still be fairly costly to acquire. For these reasons collecting the early reprints from Grosset and Dunlap can be an enjoyable challenge that is generally more affordable and attainable.
Grosset and Dunlap: The firm was founded in New York in 1898 with the intention of printing mass-affordable books. In their early years they would rebind paperbacks with cloth boards and even bootleg copies of books. By the 1920s Grosset & Dunlap (G&D) was a partner to many booksellers, including Dodd Mead, who wanted to outsource publishing of later editions while extending the income life of a title. G&D's partnership with Dodd Mead included the majority of Agatha Christie books with the majority of their volume occurring in the 1920s and 30s.
Dust Jackets: One of the primary appeal of the early Grosset & Dunlapo books is to obtain period dust jackets. The front panel dust jacket artwork on seven of the ten Grosset & Dunlap editions of the 1920s titles matches the true first edition of the Dodd Mead. Three of the ten had new artwork - these were The Big Four, The Mystery of the Blue Train and Partners In Crime (all from the late 1920s and early 1930s). There is no known reprint by Grosset & Dunlap of Poirot Investigates. This was likely due to it being a short-story collection which arguably didn't sell as well as full length novels and thus no reprint was deemed necessary at the time.
Much of the sequencing of the reprints is speculation and specific records aren't available to confirm publishing agreements. However, it appears Bodley Head controlled the rights to Christie's first book and didn't hand off printing to Dodd Mead (and then Grosset & Dunlap) until The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was published. The rear panels of the Grosset & Dunlap books from the 1920 and 1930s appear in several formats (see the images) but the defining criteria of a collectible Grosset dust wrapper is that it has a list of other Grosset titles published on the verso of the dust wrapper. By looking at the list of Christie titles currently being published by Grosset you can approximate the year that jacket was printed. G&D appeared to stop this practice by the early 1930s, likely 1931.
Printings & Editions: Several of the Grosset titles were reprinted numerous times as slightly different jacket variants exist. However, Grosset rarely changed the copyright page but used the last printing sheet from Dodd, Mead & Co. This makes creating a timeline of the editions exceptionally hard. For example, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was reprinted by Dodd, Mead & Co. nine times before handing off the reprinting rights to Grosset. Their first version still states it is the 9th printing, when in reality it is the 10th. This continued for several more Grosset iterations. Alternatively, Partners in Crime does not appear to ever have been reprinted by Dodd, Mead & Co. so the first Grosset has the first edition copyright sheet from Dodd.
Values: It should be noted that the majority of the value of these books is in the dust jacket. The prices below represent my interpretation of fair value (updated 2026) for complete jackets. It is worth noting that over the last five years prices of these books have rised 2-3 times and they still offer good value for collectors. When considering jackets with sizeable chips (common due to fairly poor paper quality), values will be reduced significantly, but it can often be the case of buy what you can find and upgrade later. Without a wrapper, the reprint books are worth little more than $20 - $40 per title though some sellers believe there is greater value often because of the copyright page not being updated so they think they have a first edition. Unlike true firsts, you can find most of these Grosset books in jackets over time. A diligent resourceful collector can enjoy the hunt but expect it to take many years to pull together a collection of all 10 of these books.
As noted earlier there are variants of the Grosset jackets with slightly different rear panels and different lists of currently published Christie titles on the verso. Better jackets likely get paired with better books, so it is very difficult to be confident of actual production dates. That said, early jackets with short lists of Christie titles on the verso are the collectible ones you seek.
The Mysterious Affair At Styles: Almost all copies of the reprint of this title that appear for sale in jacket are the wartime (1940s) issuance by Madison Square. Dodd, Mead & Co. actually reprinted the title first in 1926. The circa 1927 Grosset printing is quite rare with the correct first edition cover art (except for the reference to Ackroyd which is not present on the Dodd reprint) and when seen for sale in wrapper will sell for ~$400 - $500.
The Secret Adversary: Grosset used the same cover art as the correct first (yellow background) and was believed to have been printed around 1923-25. What is unusual with this book is by 1930 Dodd, Mead & Co resumed printing this title, with a similar image on the cover but with a blue-green background. A later Grosset reprint (circa 1931) has a red background. This makes the first Grosset copy an intermediary edition and quite rare. Value in wrapper generally $700-$800 when found.
The Murder On The Links: Incredibly rare with only a handful of known copies, likely printed in 1924-25. If you need this book, likely take whatever you can find. In a complete wrapper, expect to pay up to $1,000 if the seller is aware of the rarity.
The Man In The Brown Suit: Very uncommon with the same cover art as the correct first. None have been seen for sale in several years. Also likely printed in 1925-26. The value for this book in wrapper is $700-$800. Dodd, Mead & Co. did reprint this title in 1931 with a similar jacket, so this Grosset edition is an intermediary, making it very appealing.
(Poirot Investigates: No known G&D reprint. If anyone has seen one please contact me).
The Secret Of Chimneys: Very uncommon with only a few showing for sale recently and those that have are usually lacking content on the spine. The cover art is the same as the first edition. Likely printed in 1926-27 and fairly valued at $700 - $800 for a complete one.
The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd: This title was reprinted more than most of the other and variant jackets are known to exist from the late 1920s. Slightly more common than some of the other titles given the book's popularity. The reprints from the 1920s use the original cover art and most were likely printed in 1927-1930. Value $400-$600.
The Big Four: The first Grosset to use different cover art from the correct first - which of note was the same art for both the UK and US versions. Since most US books had their own art, it is easy to speculate that the Grosset art was originally planned for the US Dodd printing but supplanted for some reason by the UK artwork. This book does show up slightly more frequently that those above and is valued $250-$350.
The Mystery Of The Blue Train: Another original piece of cover art that actually makes this almost more appealing that the correct Dodd first whose art is quite boring and is a copy that was certainly over produced. It can be argued that from a scarcity perspective the Grosset reprint with this cover art is of similar scarcity. Value is $300 - $400.
The Seven Dials Mystery: Grosset returned to using artwork from the Dodd, Mead & Co. first edition for this book with its lovely art deco style image. Fairly valued at $250 - $350.
Partners In Crime: While a collection of short stories, Grosset did pick up reprint rights for this book unlike Poirot Investigates. The cover art was original and unique to this edition and is quite uncommon. Value $400 - $500.
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I just recently bought a “Murder on the Links” G&D edition at an antique store for $5. No dust jacket. From what I was reading above this was still a good find even without the jacket? Is it still as rare without the dust jacket….or was that what you were saying was the incredibly rare part? Sorry just a little confused on what you were saying. :)