Hickory Dickory Dock is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 31 October 1955 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in November of the same year under the title of Hickory Dickory Death. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6) and the US edition at $3.00. It features her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The novel is notable for featuring Poirot’s efficient secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, who had previously appeared only in the Poirot short stories.
This novel is set at a student hostel. Poirot is initially asked to investigate petty thefts and vandalism in the hostel, and easily discovers that most of these acts were committed by resident Celia Austin. Then Celia is murdered.
The title is taken, as are other of Christie’s titles, from a nursery rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock. This is nevertheless one of her most tenuous links to the original nursery rhyme, consisting of little more than the name of a road and an allusion being “in the dock,” i.e. on trial. (“‘Hickory, dickory, dock,’ said Nigel, ‘the mouse ran up the clock. The police said, “Boo,” I wonder who, will eventually stand in the Dock?’”).
References to other works
- When the students are attempting to place Hercule Poirot, during Chapter 4, one of them mentions the case retold in Mrs McGinty’s Dead (1952).
- When Poirot comes to lecture to the students about his cases in the same chapter, he retells the story of The Nemean Lion, published in book form in The Labours of Hercules (1947).
- In chapter 5 Poirot also remembers Count Vera Rossakoff’s “exotic splendour…even in decay”, something that he has only observed in The Capture of Cerberus, also from The Labours of Hercules.
- In Chapter 21, Poirot visits a solicitor by the name of Mr Endicott to confirm his suspicions of Nigel Chapman. Endicott says to Poirot, “…I’m deeply in your debt. You cleared up that nasty Abernethy business for me.” This may be a reference to the events in After the Funeral (1953), though Abernethie is mistakenly spelt “Abernethy” and not “Abernethie” as it is in After the Funeral. Furthermore, the catalyst to Poirot’s direct involvement to the events in After the Funeral is a solicitor named Entwhistle, not Endicott.
Plot Summary
[SPOILER ALERT]
Publication history
- 1955, Collins Crime Club (London), 31 October 1955, Hardcover, 192 pp
- 1955, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), November 1955, Hardcover, 241 pp
- 1956, Pocket Books (New York), Paperback, 222 pp
- 1958, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp
- 1967, Pan Books, Paperback, 189 pp
In the UK the novel was first serialised in the weekly magazine John Bull in six abridged instalments from 28 May (Volume 97, Number 2552) to 2 July 1955 (Volume 98, Number 2557) with illustrations by “Fancett”.
The novel was first serialised in the US in Collier’s Weekly in three abridged instalments from 14 October (Volume 136, Number 8) to 11 November 1955 (Volume 136, Number 10) under the title Hickory Dickory Death with illustrations by Robert Fawcett.
Hickory Dickory Dock – First Edition Book Identification Guide
The books are listed in the order of publication. While the majority of Agatha Christie’s books were first published in the UK. There are many titles that were first published in the US. The title of the book may differs from the UK edition in some cases.
| Year | Title | Publisher | First edition/printing identification points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Hickory Dickory Dock | William Collins & Sons, London, [1955] | First edition. "1954" on single line stated on the copyright page. No statement of later printings. Red cloth lettered in black. Price 10/6. |
| 1955 | Hickory Dickory Death | Dodd, Mead & Co, NY, [1955] | First American edition. Copyright 1955 stated on the copyright page. No statement of later printings. Green boards lettered in silver. Price $ 3.00. |
Note about Book Club Editions (BCE) and reprints:
UK: You can see statements of later reprint dates or of book club on the copyright page.
US: The US reprint publishers usually use the same sheets as the first edition and are harder to identify by looking at the title page or the copyright page. One may identify a BCE by looking at the DJ, which doesn’t have a price on top of the front flap and a “Book Club Edition” imprint at the bottom. If the dust jacked is clipped at both the top/bottom of the front flap. You can safely assume it’s a BCE . If the book is missing the dust jacket. Later BCE editions can be identified by its plain boards, while first printings are issued in quarter cloth.
Please refer to the gallery for detailed images of true first edition bindings and dust jackets.
Hickory Dickory Dock – First Edition Dust Jacket Identification Guide
First edition bindings and various dust jacket printings identification.
