Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories
Encyclopedia
Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories is a short story
collection by Agatha Christie
published in the UK only in November 1991 by HarperCollins
. It was not published in the US but all the stories contained within it had previously been published in American volumes. The UK edition retailed at £13.99. It contains two stories with Hercule Poirot
, two with Parker Pyne
,. two with Harley Quin
and two gothic tales
.
No magazine publication of The Harlequin Tea Set has yet been traced; the story was first published in book form in the UK in Winter's Crimes #3 in 1971 by MacMillan
(ISBN 0-333-12871-0).
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collection by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
published in the UK only in November 1991 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
. It was not published in the US but all the stories contained within it had previously been published in American volumes. The UK edition retailed at £13.99. It contains two stories with Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
, two with Parker Pyne
Parker Pyne
Parker Pyne is a detective who appears in three Agatha Christie books: Parker Pyne Investigates, Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Regatta Mystery. His quote and sales pitch is always "Are you happy? If not consult Mr Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street." Most don't notice this ad, some chuckle, and read...
,. two with Harley Quin
The Mysterious Mr. Quin
The Mysterious Mr. Quin is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on April 14 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year...
and two gothic tales
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
.
List of stories
- Problem at Pollensa Bay
- The Second Gong
- Yellow Iris
- The Harlequin Tea Set
- The Regatta Mystery
- The Love Detectives
- Next To A Dog
- Magnolia Blossom
Publication history
- 1991, HarperCollins, November 1991, Hardcover, 232 pp ISBN 0-002-23922-1
- 1992, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
), Paperback ISBN 0-006-47242-7
First publication of stories
The first UK magazine publication of all the stories has not been fully documented. The known listing is as follows:- Problem at Pollensa Bay: First published in issue 539 of the Strand MagazineStrand MagazineThe Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues, though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890.Its immediate...
in November 1935. The story was illustrated by Jack M. Faulks. The detective is Parker PyneParker PyneParker Pyne is a detective who appears in three Agatha Christie books: Parker Pyne Investigates, Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Regatta Mystery. His quote and sales pitch is always "Are you happy? If not consult Mr Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street." Most don't notice this ad, some chuckle, and read...
. - The Second Gong: First published in issue 499 of the Strand Magazine in July 1932. This story with Hercule PoirotHercule PoirotHercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
was the basis of the novella Dead Man's Mirror in 1935. - Yellow Iris: First published in issue 559 of the Strand Magazine in July 1937. This story with Hercule Poirot was the basis of the novel Sparkling CyanideSparkling CyanideSparkling Cyanide is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1945 under the title of Remembered Death and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in the December of the same year under Christie's original title...
, in which Poirot was replaced by Colonel RaceColonel RaceColonel Race is a fictional character created by British mystery novelist Agatha Christie.Race is a highly intelligent ex-Army Colonel who had a stint as a leader of the counter intelligence division of the British spy agency MI5. He is immensely rich, having inherited the fortune of "Sir Lawrence...
and the plot was heavily altered. - The Love Detectives: First published in issue 236 of The Story-Teller magazine in December 1926 under the title of At the Crossroads. This was the first of a series of six stories in consecutive issues of the magazine titled The Magic of Mr. Quin. The remaining five were later published in book form in The Mysterious Mr. QuinThe Mysterious Mr. QuinThe Mysterious Mr. Quin is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on April 14 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year...
in 1930. The plot has similarities to 1930 Miss MarpleMiss MarpleJane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
novel The Murder at the VicarageThe Murder at the VicarageThe Murder at the Vicarage is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year... - The Regatta Mystery: First published in issue 546 of the Strand Magazine in June 1936 under the title Poirot and the Regatta Mystery. The story was illustrated by Jack M. Faulks. The story was later rewritten by Christie to change the detective from Hercule Poirot to Parker Pyne before its first book publication in the US in The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories in 1939. The publication in the Strand Magazine remained the only publication of the original version of the story in the UK until 2008, when it was included in the omnibus volume "Hercule Poirot: the Complete Short Stories" (ISBN 978-0006513773).
- Next To A Dog: First published in issue 295 of the Grand Magazine in September 1929.
- Magnolia Blossom: First published in issue 329 of the Royal Magazine in March 1926. The story first appeared in book form in the UK in the 1982 collection The Agatha Christie Hour (ISBN 0-00-231-3316) to tie in with a dramatization of the story in the television series of the same name.
No magazine publication of The Harlequin Tea Set has yet been traced; the story was first published in book form in the UK in Winter's Crimes #3 in 1971 by MacMillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
(ISBN 0-333-12871-0).
External links
- Problem at Pollensa Bay at the official Agatha Christie website