"Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book"
— Stephan Mallarme
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
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
4.50 From Paddington.
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1957. [Mystery]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's bright orange cloth in scarlet and grey dust wrapper. Some toning to edge of text block otherwise a fine copy in similar jacket with one short tear to rear. A really bright example. More
After The Funeral.
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1953. [Detective novel]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. In publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. A little dustiness, spine sunned. A very good copy without jacket. A Hercule Poirot mystery, published as 'Funerals are Fatal' in America. Basis for... More
At Bertram's Hotel.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. [Detective novel]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and pattern to boards, dust-jacket designed by Brian Russell priced at 16s. No inscriptions, spotting to edges, bright jacket with minor soiling and toning to spine... 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, some spotting to top edge, a few minor spots to fore-edge, discreet owner name to flyleaf; cloth is particularly fresh but for slight sunning to... 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
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
A Caribbean Mystery.
London: The Collins Crime Club, 1964. [Detective Fiction]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Bound in publisher's red cloth, printed with black cloth pattern, with gilt titles to spine. Dust-wrapper shows palm fronds in green and blue and titles in black and orange against a pale background, repeated on... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Detective novel]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, in typographic dust-jacket priced at 12/6. Some dustiness to text block, tear to rear joint, a few nicks, one chip to foot of front fold. A.... 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 Clocks.
London: Collins, The Crime Club, 1963. [Detective novel]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth in dust-wrapper designed by Michael Harvey. Top edge dusty/spotted. Jacket with some creaseing, rubbing and tears (old tape to reverse). Very good. The son of Superintendent Battle, the long-time partner of Hercule... 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 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 in original pictorial dust-wrapper. Jacket with a couple of tiny nicks to spine ends, flap not priced (for export). Exceptionally clean and bright. A groundbreaking novel in which Christie anticipates the... 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: 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
Endless Night.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1967. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13), pp.224. Publisher's patterned red cloth with gilt titles to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Kenneth Farnhill. Minor handling and the faintest sunning to spine; a near fine copy. A macabre romance about a wealthy young American... More
The Hollow (A Hercule Poirot mystery).
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1946. [Detective Fiction]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Elegantly hand-bound in half deep red calf over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands. Internally clean, exterior unmarked. A fine copy in a striking recent leather binding. More
The Man in the Brown Suit.
London: The Bodley Head, 1926. [Mystery novel]. Early Edition; the first was published in 1924. Octavo(20 x 13cm), pp.310; [2], adverts. This is the first 'Popular Edition'. Scarce. Publisher's orange cloth decorated and titled in black. Some acceptable wear and handling, top edge nibbled near spine, ink name, number and... More
Miss Marple's Six Final Cases. And two other stories.
London: Collins, 1979. [Crime]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.138. Publisher's red cloth, gilt titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket. Slight offsetting to endpapers, cloth slightly rubbed to extremities, dust-jacket lightly handled, some spotting to inner flaps. Very good. More
The Moving Finger.
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1943. First Edition. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine, near fine, in bright dustwrapper with red titles unusually strong, chipped to head and foot of spine and corners; corresponding faded to cloth. More
Mrs McGinty's Dead.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1952. [Detective novel]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.188; [4], advertisments. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine A little dustiness, page edges toned/spotted, ink ownership to flyleaf. A very good copy without jacket. "Mrs McGinty was dead. She was hit on... More