Christie (Agatha) The Witness for the Prosecution and Three Blind Mice, first edition, ink ownership stamp to pastedowns, original grey boards lettered in brown, light discolouration to covers, dust-jacket, light toning to spine, spine ends and corners a little chipped, chip to head of upper panel, closed tear to foot of upper joint, a few small nicks to head and foot with light creasing, light toning and surface soling to rear panel, a very good example, [Cooper & Pike pp.82-9], 8vo, New York, Detective Book Club, [1948].

⁂ The rare true first edition of Three Blind Mice, later to be adapted for the stage as The Mousetrap.

Originally broadcast as a half-hour radio play in the UK in 1947 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Mary, Christie the adapted the work for the present novella before subsequently expanding it for a full theatrical production when it was staged as The Mousetrap in 1952. Christie stipulated that as long as The Mousetrap was performed in the West End, the story should not be published in the UK. Consequently this story has only ever appeared in the US. We can trace no other example of this work in dust-jacket at auction or on the wider market.