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Well, the book was originally published in England under the name Ten Little N⸺s, and in that edition the location was named “N⸺ Island.” For obvious reasons,
by anjbe 4y ago
Well, the book was originally published in England under the name Ten Little N⸺s, and in that edition the location was named “N⸺ Island.”
For obvious reasons, that title was considered unsuitable for sale in America, so American editions were renamed to And Then There Were None, and the island and poem were changed to reference (depending on edition) Indians or soldiers instead. Most editions these days have settled upon soldiers.
Incidentally, Wikipedia mentions one use of the phrase “our black brothers” that only makes sense in the context of the original naming.
- AlbertCory 4y agoInteresting. Was there actually a N__ Island?
- shakna 4y agoNot that Christie was attempting to reference. The title of the children's poem being used was "Ten Little N---", ("And then there were none" is the last line of said poem). Whilst there are several islands off the coast of Devon, hers was a fanciful creation. The entire story just revolves around poem.
- AlbertCory 4y agoI just reread the "our black brothers" line. It makes sense without knowing the original naming. It's about an Englishman leaving a bunch of African natives to die. Perhaps they mean "Vera Claythorn becoming semi-hysterical" only makes sense knowing the name, but that's a bit of a stretch.