"There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemingway
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
The Big Four.
London: W. Collins and Sons, 1927. [Crime] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.v, 281; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, titles in red to spine and upper. Contents thumbed, some toning and spotting within, tea stain to p.2, pencil ownership and ink scribble to pastedown, binding is rubbed and..... More
The Big Four.
London: W. Collins and Sons, 1927. [Crime] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.v, 281; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, titles in red to spine and upper. Contents clean, no inscriptions. Thick, fluffy paper with some light foxing, covers gently handled with some mild rubbing to joints and extremities..... More
The Big Four.
London: W. Collins and Sons, 1927. [Crime] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.v; 281 [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, titles in red to spine and upper. Thick, fluffy paper with some light foxing, edges of text block toned, ink name inside cover, cloth is moderately handled with some..... More
By The Pricking Of My Thumbs.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1968. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.255 [1]. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the yellow dust-jacket designed by Kenneth Farnhill priced 21s. Contents clean, no inscriptions, edges fresh, jacket with one short tear to rear..... More
Cards on the Table (Facsimile edition with decorative sash). A Poirot Story.
London: BCA, 2006. [Crime Mystery] FACSIMILE EDITION, reprinted. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.286; [2], blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 7/6, and the wraparound band advertising other Hercule Poirot facsimile editions, priced at £10. Trivial handling; fine. A facsimile of the..... More
Cards on the Table.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1936. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.286; [2], blank. Publisher's orange cloth lettered in black to spine. Contents clean, a couple of brown marks to fore-edge, neat owner name to endpaper, cloth rubbed to spine which is..... More
Cards on the Table. A Poirot Story.
London: BCA, 2006. [Crime Mystery] FACSIMILE EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.286; [2], blank. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. A fine, as-new copy. A facsimile of the original 1936 edition of this classic Poirot case. not to be confused with..... More
A Caribbean Mystery.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1964. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red and patterned black cloth lettered in gilt to spine, illustrated dust-jacket. No inscriptions, some light spotting to edges of text block. Price clipped jacket is particularly bright and fresh, with..... More
A Caribbean Mystery.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1964. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red and patterned black cloth lettered in gilt to spine, illustrated dust-jacket priced at 16s. No inscriptions, some light spotting to edges of text block and to jacket, no chips or..... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1] blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine, in typographic dust-jacket priced at 12/6. No inscriptions, jacket with minor toning to edges, a few tiny nick and one neat (stabilised)..... More
Cat Among the Pigeons.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255 [1]. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the distinctive typographic dust-jacket, priced at 12/6. Contents clean, no inscriptions, fresh-looking jacket with a few tiny edge tears. A crisp, near..... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, 1963. [Detective Novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.256. Elegantly hand-bound in half red calf, with traditional raised bands, titled in gilt to spine, matching cloth over boards, leather label, publisher's original cloth spine bound in at rear. Contents clean, some dustiness to edges of..... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, 1963. [Detective Novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black lettering to spine, typographic dust-wrapper designed by Michael Harvey, priced at 16s. Contents clean, no inscriptions, edges a little tanned/spotted, jacket is bright and fresh with a few tiny nicks and..... More
The Clocks.
London: Collins, 1963. [Detective Novel] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.256. Elegantly hand-bound in half black calf over contrasting red cloth-covered sides, with traditional raised bands, lettered in gilt to spine, sewn endbands, publisher's original cloth spine bound in at rear. A fine copy in an..... More
Crooked House.
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1949. [Detective Mystery] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.192 [4]. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 8/6 (crossed out/obscured). Contents and edges clean, neat gift inscription to free endpaper, jacket chipped to head..... More
Crooked House.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1949. [Detective Mystery] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[2] 192 [4]. Handsomely bound in green half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to red labels on spine, marbled paper-covered boards, with the original cloth spine bound in at..... More
Crooked House.
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1949. [Detective mystery] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192 [4]. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the illustrated dust-jacket, priced at 8/6. A large black ink ownership inscription of Princess Mary Wolkonsky (1866-1964) to front fly-leaf; otherwise internally..... More
![Item #73568 Dead Man's Folly. [A Hercule Poirot mystery]. Agatha CHRISTIE, Dame](https://harringtonbooks-co-uk.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/73568.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1763485459)
Dead Man's Folly. [A Hercule Poirot mystery].
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1956. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the green typographic dust-jacket, priced at 12/6. A little light spotting to edges and endpapers, otherwise internally crisp and clean. Bright jacket shows..... More
Death Comes as The End.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1945. [Mystery] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Elegantly hand-bound in half mid-blue calf over cloth boards, lettered in gilt to the spine, five raised bands ruled in blind, original cloth covers preserved at rear. A few light reading..... More
Death Comes as The End.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Publisher's orange cloth, black titles to spine, pictorial dust-jacket priced at 7/6. Contents and edges are very clean, no inscriptions. Jacket is fresh and bright with one tiny chip at foot and..... More
Death in the Clouds.
London: Published for The Crime Club by Collins, 1935. [Mystery novel] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.252; [4], advertisements. Elegantly hand-bound in half navy blue calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, matching cloth sides, edges trimmed. Bound without adverts or half-title. Some reading..... More
Destination Unknown.
London: The Crime Club, by Collins, 1954. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Elegantly hand-bound in half navy blue calf, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with raised bands, cloth sides, publisher's original cloth spine bound in at rear. A few very light marks to fore-edge, exterior unmarked..... More
Destination Unknown.
London: The Crime Club, by Collins, 1954. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the green typographic dust-jacket, priced at 10/6. Neat ink ink ownership to free endpaper, edges of text block toned, jacket lightly worn and..... More
Destination Unknown.
London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2014. [Spy novel] FACSIMILE EDITION, first thus. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.205 [3]. Publisher's red paper over boards, with black titles to spine and upper. With the green typographic dust-jacket, priced at 10/6. A large brown stain to rear jacket flap, otherwise a crisp, near fine copy. Secret..... More
Destination Unknown.
London: The Crime Club, by Collins, 1954. [Spy novel] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the green typographic dust-jacket, priced at 10/6. No ink names, contents clean, edges toned, jacket lightly worn at extremities lightly soiled to rear..... More