&sq=&lang=&file=File:The_Big_Four_First_Edition_Cover_1927.jpg) Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition | |
| Author | Agatha Christie |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Thomas Derrick |
| Language | English |
| Series | Hercule Poirot |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | William Collins & Sons |
Publication date | 27 January 1927 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 282 (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd |
| Followed by | The Mystery of the Blue Train |
| Text | The Big Four at Wikisource |
The Big Four is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on 27 January 1927[1] and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year.[2][3] It features Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings, and Inspector Japp. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6)[4] and the US edition at $2.00.[3]
The structure of the novel is different from other Poirot stories, as it began from twelve short stories (eleven in the US) that had been separately published. This is a tale of international intrigue and espionage, therefore opening up the possibility of more spy fiction from Christie.[5]: 24
- ^ The Publishers' Circular and Booksellers Record 15 January 1927 (Page 1)
- ^ Cooper, John; Pyke, B.A. (1994). Detective Fiction – the collector's guide (Second ed.). Scholar Press. pp. 82, 86. ISBN 0-85967-991-8.
- ^ a b Marcum, J S (May 2007). "American Tribute to Agatha Christie: The Classic Years 1920s". Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ The English Catalogue of Books Vol XII (A– L: January 1926 – December 1930). Millwood, New York: Kraus Reprint Corporation. 1979. p. 316.
- ^ Bunson, Matthew (2000). "The Big Four". The Complete Christie: An Agatha Christie Encyclopedia. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671028312.