"Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon. "
— Bertolt Brecht
Agatha Christie | First Editions
1890 - 1976
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story writer and playwright. She also wrote six romances under the name Mary Westmacott; however, Christie is best known for the 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that she wrote under her own name, most of which revolve around the investigative work of such characters as Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple, Parker Pyne, Ariadne Oliver, Harley Quin/Mr Satterthwaite and Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Christie also wrote the world's longest-running play, a murder mystery entitled The Mousetrap. In 1971, she was made a Dame for her immense contribution to literature.
Christie was initially unsuccessful in getting her work published, but in 1920 The Bodley Head press published her novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, featuring the character of Hercule Poirot. This launched her literary career. Today, the Guinness Book of World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies worldwide, and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world's most-widely published books (behind Shakespeare's works and the Bible). Christie remains the world's most-translated individual author – having been translated into at least 103 languages. And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel, with 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery ever. Nearly all of Christie's books and short stories have been adapted for television, radio, video games and comics, and more than thirty feature films have been based on her work.
See below our stock of Agatha Christie First Editions, fine bindings, sets, and signed copies.
Agatha Christie
Star Over Bethlehem and Other Stories.
London: Collins, 1965. FIRST EDITION, UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY. A collection of the author's more elusive non-crime genre tales. Collins' red coloured wrappers with printed paper label to upper. Spine sunned else fine. The literary agent's copy, with their stamp to flyleaf. More
The Second Crime Club Omnibus: Murder at the Vicarage, The Wedding Chest Mystery, Murder At The Pageant and Tragedy on the Line.
London: for The Crime Club Limited by William Collins 1932. FIRST EDITION thus. Collecting these four early Crime Club titles including the first ever Miss Marple novel. The individual books are all exceptionally scarce in dust-jacket. Thick 8vo, pp.1014. Publisher's hardback orange cloth binding, blocked in black, in the fragile... More
![[Thirteen] 13 For Luck. A Selection of Mystery Stories. Agatha CHRISTIE.](/pictures/thumb/39303.jpg?v=1493310870)
[Thirteen] 13 For Luck. A Selection of Mystery Stories.
Collins, London. 1966. FIRST EDITION in book-form. Octavo, pp224. Publisher's cloth hardback in printed dust wrapper. Book is near fine in similar wrapper, a shade sunned to the spine. A pleasing copy on one of Christie's most elusive later titles; A fine collection of short stories, featuring Hercule Poirot, Harley... More
![[Thirteen] 13 For Luck. A Selection of Mystery Stories. Agatha CHRISTIE.](/pictures/thumb/48936.jpg?v=1503325515)
[Thirteen] 13 For Luck. A Selection of Mystery Stories.
London: Collins, 1966. [Short mystery stories]. FIRST EDITION in book-form. Octavo, (21 x 15cm), pp.224. Blue cloth with titles in silver to spine, in typographic dust-jacket designed by kenneth Farnhill. No inscriptions or price-clipping. Both book and wrapper are lightly used; jacket with a few nicks and tears. Very good... More
contributes (Hercule Poirot) to The Strand Magazine.
George Newnes Ltd., London, March 1941. SCARCE FIRST APPEARANCE of Christie's detective story 'Poirot and the Regular Customer', with exclusive illustrations. Single issue, magazine format in paper covers with illustrations. Light general handling, staples have rusted, faint owner name, some spine wear, one short tear to rear. Very good copy... More
![Detective Story Magazine. [Where's the Catch? (A Story of the Solving Six)], [The Thirteen Problems - The Tuesday Night Club]. CHRISTIE, Dame Agatha.](/images/noimage.png)
Detective Story Magazine. [Where's the Catch? (A Story of the Solving Six)], [The Thirteen Problems - The Tuesday Night Club].
New York, NY: Street and Smith, 30th June 1928. FIRST US APPEARANCE. Large octavo, pp.144. In publisher's bright colour illustrated paper covers. Heavily browned, as expected, with a small water stain to top left corner. Very bright covers with a heavily written pencil inscription to front cover. Near-fine. The first... More
At Bertram's Hotel.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and pattern to boards, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Brian Russell. No inscriptions or price-clipping. Some general wear and dustiness. A very good copy. "It is Miss Marple's destiny to stumble... More
An Autobiography.
London: Collins, 1977. UNCORRECTED ADVANCE PROOF. Octavo, pp.532. Soft cover in pink wraps, an advance proof not including the photographic plates present in the published edition. Slight lean, chipping and wear to edges of the covers, spine slightly sunned, some spotting to top edge, a very good copy, scarce. More
The Big Four.
New York, Dodd Mead. 1927. First US edition. 8vo. Publisher's blue cloth, very lightly rubbed to extremities, trifling bumping to spine ends, a near fine copy in cloth. Titled in orange to spine and front board. Lacking a dustwrapper but by some chance still possessing the original orange card advertising... More
The Big Four.
London: Collins Sons and Co., 1927. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.[vi]; 281; [6]. Publisher's blue cloth with orange titles to spine and upper. Internally very clean, discreet owner name to flyleaf; cloth is particularly fresh but for slight sunning to back-strip. A near fine copy. Another mystery for Hercule Poirot and... More
The Big Four.
London: W. Collins & Sons. 1927. First edition. Octavo, pp.v, 281. Blue cloth covers with titles in terracota to spine and front. Slight lean to the bookblock which remains tightly bound but has frequent light spotting, especially to the edges and the prelims. Quite heavy bumping and wear to all... More
The Body In The Library.
London: The Crime Club, 1942. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.160. Publisher's red cloth in the striking Stead-designed dust-wrapper which displays the title highlighted in book spines arranged on three of the library shelves. Original price of 7/6 present. Internally clean, ownership to flyleaf. Jacket edgeworn with a few chips and tears... More
By The Pricking Of My Thumbs.
London, Collins (The Crime Club) 1968. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.255; [1], advertisement. Publisher's mid green cloth in yellow dustwrapper. A lighly used copy; jacket price-clipped and a little handled. Shows well. The fourth of five books starring series favourites Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, this time investigating a sinister painting of... More
A Caribbean Mystery.
London, Collins, The Crime Club. 1964. Advance Copy. 8vo. Publisher's blue marbled paper wraps, near fine save for a small triangle of loss to lower rear panel. Clean and fresh. Internally clean. Not to be confused with a proof copy which Collins issued for this title in red card wraps... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.255. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket. A very good copy showing a little general wear; gummed label to flyleaf, jacket with a few minor chips and tears, old tape mark to upper. Shows well... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.255. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket. Edges a little spotted, dust-wrapper clean and broght with a few small marks. A near fine copy. "Meadowbank is one of the most exclusive schools in England. Unthinkable... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, The Crime Club, 1963. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.256. Publisher's red cloth in dust-wrapper designed by Michael Harvey. A used but very good copy with some edge spotting, wrapper with some chips and tears. The son of Superintendent Battle, the long-time partner of Hercule Poirot, calls the Belgian detective... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, The Crime Club, 1963. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.256. Publisher's red cloth in dust-wrapper designed by Michael Harvey. Book is lightly handled only. A bear fine copy in similar price-clipped jacket, with a couple of short tears to rear. The son of Superintendent Battle, the long-time partner of Hercule... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, The Crime Club, 1963. Detective novel. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Elegantly hand-bound in half red calf over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, original cloth spine bound in at rear. Fine condition, inside and out. The son of Superintendent Battle, the... More
The Crime Collection. The Works include: Murder on the Orient Express, Evil Under the Sun, Death on the Nile, etc.
London: Paul Hamlyn, 1969. 24 volumes; 8vo. (21 x 86 cm). Elegantly bound in half dark blue calf with raised bands, cloth boards, gilt decoration to spine. Internally clean, externally fine. The only major collection of Christie's novels to date, presented in an attractive recent leather binding. Known originally as... More
Death in the Clouds.
London: Collins, 1952. [Mystery novel]. Vintage hardback edition. Octavo (19 x 11cm), pp.188, without flyleaves as issued. Publisher's blue cloth in dust-wrapper. Cheap paper toned, corner of last leaf chipped, one chip to upper panel of wrapper, a few creases and short tears; very good indeed. In the book, Poirot... More
Destination Unknown
Collins Crime Club, London 1954. Espionage novel. UNCORRECTED ADVANCE PROOF of the first edition. 8vo., Publisher's wraps with printed label to upper. Some toning; very good, housed in a custom-made cloth case, titled in gilt to the spine. Scarce format. Secret Service thriller from the Queen of Crime; When a.... More
Destination Unknown.
London: The Crime Club, by Collins, 1954. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.192. Publisher's cloth binding in original dustwrapper priced 10/6. A fine copy of the book in a near fine jacket with some mild edgewear. An attractive copy. Secret Service thriller from the Queen of Crime; When a number of leading... More
Endless Night.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1967. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.224. Publisher's patterned red cloth with gilt titles to spine, in pictorial dustjacket designed by Kenneth Farnhill. No inscriptions or price-clipping. Jacket unfaded, with a couple of short tears. near fine. A macabre romance about a wealthy young American heiress... More
Hallowe'en Party. A Hercule Poirot Mystery.
London: Collins Crime Club, 1969. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.255. Publisher's hardback cloth binding in pictorial dustjacket. Lightly used jacket with a few short tears, top edge dusty; a very good copy. At a Hallowe'en party, Joyce - a hostile thirteen-year-old - boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one... More