"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
4.50 From Paddington.
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1957. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, illustrated dust-jacket priced at 12/6. Some dustiness/toning. A very good copy in similar, marginally short jacket. Shows well. A classic case for the spinster detective Miss..... More
The ABC Murders.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1936. [Murder mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[x]; 306; [4], blank. Publisher's lemon yellow blue cloth blocked in dark green, top edge yellow, fore-edge untrimmed, illustrated dust-wrapper. A fine copy of the book in a near fine price-clipped jacket, with..... More
The Agatha Christie Crime Collection: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, Murder at The Vicarage, A Murder is Announced, Murder is Easy, The ABC Murders, Murder in The Mews, Murder in Mesopotamia, Murder on the Links, Lord Edgeware Dies, Mrs McGinty's Dead, Dead Man's Folly, The Hound of Death, Appointment with Death, Death on The Nile, Death in The Clouds, Death Comes as the End, Peril at End House, Crooked House, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, Poirot's Christmas, Poirot Investigates, Parker Pyne Investigates, They Do it with Mirrors, The Mirror Crack'd, The Clocks, The Seven Dials Mystery, The Listerdale Mystery, The Sittaford Mystery, A Carribean Mystery, The Mystery of The Blue Train, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Ten Little Niggers, Five Little Pigs, Third Girl, The Big Four, The Thirteen Problems, Towards Zero, Three Act Tragedy, The Hollow, The Moving Finger, 4.50 From Paddington, Passenger to Frankfurt, Evil Under the Sun, At Bertram's Hotel, Why Didn't They Ask Evans, Dumb Witness, Taken at The Flood, They Came to Baghdad, Sparkling Cyanide, The Secret of Chimneys, After the Funeral, The Body in The Library, Halloween Party, The Plae Horse, The Secret Adversary, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, The Mysterious Mr Quin, Endless Night, The Man in The Brown Suit, Ordeal by Innocence, One, Two Buckle my Shoe, Cards On the Table, N or M?, Cat Among the Pigeons, The Labours of Hercules, Hickory Dickory Dock, Partners in Crime, Sad Cypress, Nemesis, A Pocketful of Rye and Destination Unknown.
London: Hamlyn, 1969-1970. [Crime Fiction Collection] FINELY BOUND SET. In 24 volumes. Octavo (20 x 14 x 82cm). Elegantly bound in recent brown half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to contrasting red and green labels, and further gilt decoration to spines. Marbled paper over boards. Internally clean, externally fine..... More
Akhnaton.
London: Collins, 1973. [Play] PROOF COPY. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.157; [1]. Publisher's mottled red paper wraps, pictorial dust-jacket designed by Andrew Vargo priced at £1.80 net. A scarce proof copy sent out in advance of the first edition. Dust-jacket very slightly creased and rubbed to top and bottom edges..... More
Appointment with Death.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1938. [Murder mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[vi]; 301; [5], blank. Publisher's bright orange cloth blocked in black, fore-edge untrimmed, top edge red, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. Some very light toning/browning to reverse side and some exquisite light repair;..... More
The Boomerang Clue.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1935. [Murder mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[viii]; 290; [1], adverts; [5], blank. Publisher's light grey cloth blocked in red, top edge bright red, fore-edge untrimmed, 'red badge detective' design endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. A lovely fine copy..... More
Death Comes as The End.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Publisher's orange cloth, black titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket priced at 7/6. Neat ownership inscription to flyleaf. Some light spotting and toning to edges. Cloth slightly rubbed to extremities, endcaps slightly rolled. Dust-jacket shows..... More
Death in the Clouds.
London: Published for The Crime Club by Collins, 1935. [Mystery novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.252; [4], advertisements. Hand-bound in half mid-green calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, matching green cloth sides. Contents clean, minor toning to edges of textblock, binding as new. A scarce..... More
Destination Unknown.
London: The Crime Club, by Collins, 1954. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's cloth binding in dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Edges spotted, no inscriptions, some general wear and tear, spine toned, jacket partially split along rear flap fold, but no other major defects; a very good..... More
Easy to Kill.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1939. [Detective Fiction] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[vi]; 248; [2], blank. Publisher's light blue cloth blocked in navy, fore-edge untrimmed, 'red badge detective' design endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper by Cob, priced at $2.00. A lovely fine copy of the book in..... More
Evil Under The Sun.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1941. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.252; [3], advertisements; [1], blank. With an illustrated map of 'Leathercombe Bay', the scene of the crime. Publisher's orange cloth lettered in black. Contents clean, some soiling/to front cover, discreet repair to spine tips. A very good copy..... More
![Five Little Pigs [aka Murder in Retrospect]. Agatha CHRISTIE, Dame](/pictures/thumb/55659.jpg?v=1584533289)
Five Little Pigs [aka Murder in Retrospect]
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1942. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's red cloth lettered in black in original pictorial dust-wrapper priced at 8s. Book is near fine. Jacket is dusty and used, with some toning to the extremities, neatly repaired to spine..... More
The Hound of Death. And Other Stories.
London: Odhams Press Limited, 1933. [Strange Tales] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.247; [5], blank. Publisher's plum-coloured cloth with titles in gilt to spine, in the suitably macabre wrapper. Some edge spotting, fugitive pigment of cloth with inevitable sunning to extremities, gilt dulled, jacket with a couple of small..... More
The Hound of Death. And Other Stories.
London: Odhams Press Limited, 1933. [Strange Tales] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.247; [5] blank. Publisher's plum-coloured cloth with titles in gilt to spine, in suitably macabre wrapper. Some edge spotting, fugitive pigment of cloth with inevitable sunning to extremities, gilt dulled, jacket with some accomplished restoration, chiefly to..... More
A Memorial Service: Agatha Christie Mallowan 1890-1976.
Thursday 13th May 1976. ORIGINAL ORDER OF SERVICE. Octavo pamphlet (22 x 14cm), two leaves in paper covers, with two staples. A fine copy. More
The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1962. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black title to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 15s. Black ink gift inscription to front pastedown. Jacket a little toned to spine, with some chips and..... More
The Moving Finger.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1942. [Murder mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[vi]; 229; [5], blank. Publisher's red cloth blocked in black, fore-edge untrimmed, illustrated dust-wrapper by Koerner priced at $2.00. Some very light toning to reverse side and the faintest of repair to extremities;..... More
The Moving Finger.
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1943. [Murder mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.160. Elegantly bound in deep red half calf, with black title labels lettered in gilt, raised bands, marbled paper-covered boards. Contents clean, faint toning/wear to extreme top edge of final leaf, exterior unmarked. A...... More
Mr Parker Pyne Detective.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1934. [Murder Mystery cases] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[vi]; 245; [1], advertisement; [4], blank. Publisher's bright orange cloth heavily blocked in black, top edge orange, foreedge untrimmed, patterned endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. Minor edgewear, foot of spine a...... More
Mrs McGinty's Dead.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1952. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.188; [4], advertisements. Elegantly hand-bound in half mid-green calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, cloth sides. First and final leaf a little toned else fine. "Mrs McGinty was dead. She was hit..... More
The Murder at Hazelmoor.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1931. [Murder Mystery] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[xii]; 308. Publisher's orange cloth blocked in black, fore-edge untrimmed, 'red badge' design endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. Contents clean, rear fly with ink ownership, used jacket has some chips and tears..... More
![The Murder at Hazelmoor. [The Sittaford Mystery]. Agatha CHRISTIE, Dame](/pictures/thumb/55565.jpg?v=1581509344)
The Murder at Hazelmoor. [The Sittaford Mystery].
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1931. [Crime Fiction] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[12] 308. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine and upper. Tan and orange decorated endpapers. Fore-edge untrimmed. Married with a near-contemporary Grosset and Dunlap blue and green dust-jacket, not priced. Jacket..... More
The Murder at the Vicarage.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1930. [Murder mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.[vi]; 319; [1], blank. Publisher's mid-green cloth blocked in dark green, top edge tinted brown, 'village map' endpapers, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. A fine copy in a lovely fine jacket which is..... More
Murder For Christmas. The New Hercule Poirot Mystery.
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1939. [Crime Fiction] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.x; 272 [6]. In publisher's black cloth with titles blocked in lime green, top edge green, others untrimmed, pictorial wrapper by Cobbledick, priced at $2.00. Discreet bookseller ticket to rear pastedown, top edge..... More
![Murder in Retrospect [aka Five Little Pigs]. Agatha CHRISTIE, Dame](/pictures/thumb/53054.jpg?v=1549987420)
Murder in Retrospect [aka Five Little Pigs].
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1942. [Detective Fiction] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm) pp.234. Publisher's pale blue cloth blocked to spine and upper in dark blue, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at $2.00. Discreet ink name to flyleaf, bright jacket benefits from some expert restoration to spine and..... More