The Listerdale Mystery is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins and Sons in June 1934. The book retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6).

The Scotsman of 14 June 1934 summarised its review by stating, "They are all good stories with plausible ideas neatly handled. A capital book for odd-half-hours."

Robert Barnard: "Most of the stories in this collection are 'jolly', rather than detection. The final story is a dreadfully obvious one based on Tosca. The two stories with detective interest are the often reprinted Philomel Cottage (good but rather novelettish in style), and the clever Accident".

References to other works

  • In Mr Eastwood's Adventure, Anthony Eastwood misquotes from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam when he states "Tomorrow I may be Myself with Yesterday's ten thousand years". The quote should be for seven thousand years.
  • In The Rajah's Emerald, James Bond quotes "Thanking heaven fasting, for a good man's love" from Act III, Scene 5 of As You Like It. The name of James Bond is pure coincidence to the famous literary secret agent, The Rajah's Emerald having first appeared in print twenty-seven years before the first Bond book, Casino Royale. Lord Edward Campion is a character in the Parade's End novels by Ford Madox Ford.
  • In Swan Song, Paula Nazorkoff's final words, "La commedia è finita!" are taken from the opera Pagliacci. This opera is also referenced in The Face of Helen, a short story in the 1930 collection The Mysterious Mr. Quin.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Philomel Cottage

Philomel Cottage was, before the Second World War, the most successful short story written by Agatha Christie in terms of number of adaptations. A stage version by the author herself was not published in her lifetime, and is seldom performed.

Stage play and further adaptations

It was adapted as a highly successful West End stage play in 1936 by Frank Vosper called Love from a Stranger.

The stage adaptation was filmed twice, once in 1937 and once in 1947.

The stage adaptation was further adapted into two TV plays – one in 1938 and another in 1947. It was also later adapted into a TV movie version, starring Emrys Jones, which aired on BBC TV on 26 December 1958.

West German adaptations

The first known West German adaptation was titled Ein Fremder kam ins Haus and broadcast 26 June 1957. It was directed by , and starred Elfriede Kuzmany and Fritz Tillmann.

A further adaptation was produced by Hessischer Rundfunk for broadcast on West German television on 5 December 1967 under the title of Ein Fremder klopft an starring Gertrud Kückelmann and Heinz Bennent.

Radio adaptations

It was adapted three times for the American half-hour radio programme Suspense (CBS) under its original name Philomel Cottage, first airing on 29 July 1942, starring Alice Frost and Eric Dressler. This episode has apparently been lost. The second adaptation aired 7 October 1943, with Geraldine Fitzgerald as Alix Martin and Orson Welles as Gerald Martin. A third aired 26 December 1946, with Lilli Palmer as Alix Martin and Raymond E. Lewis as Gerald Martin.

Philomel Cottage was also adapted as a half-hour BBC Radio 4 play broadcast on Monday, 14 January 2002 at 11.30am. This was a modernised adaptation involving a dotcom company.

Adaptor: Mike Walker<br />

Producer: Jeremy Mortimer

Cast:<br />

Lizzy McInnerny as Alex<br />

Tom Hollander as Terry<br />

Adam Godley as Richard<br />

Struan Rodger as Merlin

Music was by Nick Russell-Pavier.

Fireside Theatre

The story The Golden Ball was adapted as the first half of the episode "The Golden Ball / Just Three Words", broadcast on 17 January 1950, as part of the NBC anthology series Fireside Theatre.

The Agatha Christie Hour

Three stories of the stories in the collection, The Girl in the Train, Jane in Search of a Job and The Manhood of Edward Robinson were adapted by Thames Television in 1982 as part of its ten-part series The Agatha Christie Hour, a series of one-off plays from short stories by the writer.

Swan Song

Swan Song was adapted as a thirty-minute play featuring a lesbian relationship for BBC Radio 4 and broadcast at 11.30am on Monday 28 January 2002.

Adaptor: Mike Walker<br />

Director: Ned Chaillet

Cast:<br />

Maria Friedman as Polina<br />

Emily Woof as Beth<br />

Sylvester Morand as Bréon<br />

Ray Lonnen as Dominik

Publication history

  • 1934, William Collins and Sons, June 1934, Hardcover, 256 pp
  • 1961, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp
  • 1970, Pan Books, Paperback, 188 pp,
  • 1990, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover,
  • 2010, HarperCollins; Facsimile edition, Hardcover: 256 pages,

First publication of stories

The first UK publication details of all the stories contained in The Listerdale Mystery are as follows:

  • The Listerdale Mystery: First published in issue 250 of The Grand Magazine in December 1925.
  • Philomel Cottage: First published in issue 237 of The Grand Magazine in November 1924.
  • The Girl in the Train: First published in issue 228 of The Grand Magazine in February 1924.
  • Sing a Song of Sixpence: First published in Holly Leaves, the annual Christmas special of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News in December 1929 with illustrations by C. Watson.
  • The Manhood of Edward Robinson: First published in issue 238 of The Grand Magazine in December 1924.
  • Accident: First published as The Uncrossed Path in the 22 September 1929 issue of the Sunday Dispatch with an uncredited illustration.
  • Jane in Search of a Job: First published in issue 234 of The Grand Magazine in August 1924.
  • A Fruitful Sunday: First published in the Daily Mail on 11 August 1928 with an uncredited illustration.
  • Mr Eastwood's Adventure: First published as The Mystery of the Second Cucumber in issue 233 of The Novel Magazine in August 1924, with an illustration by Wilmot Lunt.
  • The Golden Ball: First published as Playing the Innocent in the Daily Mail on 5 August 1929 with an illustration by Lowtham. The line early in the story where Ephraim Leadbetter tells his nephew that he has failed to grasp "the golden ball of opportunity" is missing from this version but the reference to the "Golden Ball" is intact at the end of the tale.
  • The Rajah's Emerald: First published in issue 420 of the fortnightly Red Magazine on 30 July 1926, with an illustration by Jack M. Faulks.
  • Swan Song: First published in issue 259 of The Grand Magazine in September 1926.

Publication of book collection

As with Parker Pyne Investigates, this collection did not appear under the usual imprint of the Collins Crime Club but instead appeared as part of the Collins Mystery series. Along with The Hound of Death, this makes The Listerdale Mystery one of only three major book publications of Christie's crime works not to appear under the Crime Club imprint in the UK between 1930 and 1979.

US book appearances of stories

The stories contained in The Listerdale Mystery appeared in the following US collections:

  • The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (1948) – Accident, Mr Eastwood's Adventure (under the revised title of The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl), Philomel Cottage and Sing a Song of Sixpence.
  • The Golden Ball and Other Stories (1971) – The Listerdale Mystery, The Girl in the Train, The Manhood of Edward Robinson, Jane in Search of a Job, A Fruitful Sunday, The Golden Ball, The Rajah's Emerald, Swan Song

References

  • The Listerdale Mystery at the official Agatha Christie website