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
Peril at End House.
London: Published for The Crime Club Ltd. by Collins, 1932. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.252; [4], advertisements. PUBLISHER'S VARIANT BINDING of plum cloth blocked in black to spine and upper. Although the lettering position is similar, the typeface is different to that used on the regular..... More
A Pocket Full of Rye.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1953. [Detective thriller] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.191 [1]. Publisher's red cloth, black titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 10s 6d to front flap. Internally bright and clean but for some light spotting to margins..... More
A Pocket Full of Rye.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1953. [Detective thriller] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.191 [1]. Bound in red half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to twin black labels, and marbled paper over boards. Edges lightly trimmed for binding; with the publisher's original..... More
A Pocket Full of Rye.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1953. [Detective thriller] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.191 [1]. Bound in tan half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, raised bands, and marbled paper-covered boards. Edges lightly trimmed for binding; with the publisher's original cloth..... More
Poirot's Early Cases.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1974. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.253 [3]. Publisher's brown cloth lettered in gilt to spine, photographic dust-jacket with photograph taken by Margaret Murray. No inscriptions. Small bump at foot. A crisp, clean copy of the book in a...... More
Postern of Fate.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1973. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.254; [2]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the green photographic dust-jacket, priced at £2.00. A lovely crisp, clean copy. Jacket very slightly sunned to the spine, with light wear..... More
Postern of Fate.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1973. [Crime Fiction] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[2] 254 [4]. Recently rebound in green half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and black cloth over boards. Edges lightly trimmed for binding; the publisher's original cloth spine bound..... More
Postern of Fate.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1973. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.254; [2]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the green photographic dust-jacket, priced at £2.00. Contents and edges clean, discreet ink ownership to endpaper, jacket shows some handling and wear..... More
Problem at Pollensa Bay, and Other Stories.
London: W. Collins & Son / The Crime Club / Harper Collins, 2014. [Detective fiction] FACSIMILE EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.168; [8], blank. Publisher's red cloth blocked in black. With the illustrated dust-jacket. A clean, fine copy. A facsimile of the original 1991 edition of this collection of eight..... More
Problem at Pollensa Bay, and Other Stories.
London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. [Crime Mystery Short Stories] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION THUS, first impression. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[8] 227 [5]. Recently re-bound in red half calf, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and matching cloth over boards. With the original dust-jacket and cloth spine bound in at..... More
Sad Cypress.
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1940. [Murder Mystery] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm) pp.252 [4]. Publisher's orange cloth, lettered to spine in black. Some light foxing within, edges of text block toned, ink name inside cover, cloth is moderately handled with some mild rubbing to..... More
The Secret Adversary.
London: The Bodley Head / Harper Collins, 2012. [Crime Mystery] FACSIMILE EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.257; [13], blank. Publisher's red cloth with black titles and trim. With the illustrated facsimile dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Some minor spotting; near fine. A facsimile of the original 1922 edition of the classic..... More
The Secret Adversary.
London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1922. [Mystery novel] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.312 [4], advertisements. Elegantly bound in dark green full oasis morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, gilt ruled boards, marbled endpapers. Internally clean, spine very lightly aged. A near..... More
The Seven Dials Mystery.
London: W. Collins, 1929. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[vi]; 276; [6], advertisements. Publisher's black cloth titled and trimmed in red. Contents clean, edges toned/thumbed, cloth with some acceptable wear/rubbing/soiling, neatly repaired at crown and foot. Very good. A country-house mystery, being a sequel to..... More
The Seven Dials Mystery.
London: W. Collins, 1929. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.vi; 276 [6]. Publisher's black cloth with red titles to spine and upper. With a square of the original illustrated dust-jacket pasted to front fly-leaf. Black ink gift inscription to fly-leaf dated October 1929, above jacket..... More
Sleeping Murder. Miss Marple's Last Case.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1976. [Detective fiction] LEATHER-BOUND FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.224. Elegantly hand-bound in half dark blue calf over marbled paper-covered sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands, twin burgundy title labels, sewn endbands. Internally clean and bright, exterior..... More
Sparkling Cyanide.
London: Collins Crime Club, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Elegantly hand-bound in half burgundy calf over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands. Contents clean, exterior as new. A fine copy in a striking recent leather binding. "A year ago, seven people..... More
Sparkling Cyanide.
London: For the Crime Club by Collins, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Publisher's orange cloth with titles in black to spine. Illustrated dust-jacket priced at 8s.6d. Contents clean, ink name/date to endpaper, jacket rather used; chipped to extremities, larger loss at foot of spine. "A year..... More
Sparkling Cyanide.
London: Collins Crime Club, 1945. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.160. Elegantly hand-bound in half red crushed oasis morocco over cloth sides, spine gilt-lettered in six compartments with traditional raised bands, sewn endbands. Contents clean, exterior as new. An excellent copy in a striking recent leather binding. "A..... More
Taken at the Flood.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1948. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's orange hardback cloth binding, blocked to spine in black, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at 8/6. No inscriptions, contents clean, some spotting to edges, jacket with some nicks and tears plus some..... More
Taken at the Flood.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1948. [Detective Fiction] FIRST AUSTRALIAN EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192; [2], blank. Publisher's orange hardback cloth binding, blocked to spine in black, illustrated dust-wrapper. A clean, fine copy. Virtually as new. A remarkable survival. Set in post-war Britain, in which euphoria has..... More
Taken at the Flood.
London: For The Crime Club by Collins, 1948. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's orange hardback cloth binding, blocked to spine in black, illustrated dust-jacket priced at 8/6. Contents clean, gift note in ink to endpaper, jacket with a few small nicks to spine..... More
They Came to Baghdad.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1951. [Crime fiction] LEATHER BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Hand-bound in deep red half calf over marbled sides, spine ruled in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt. Contents clean, some uniform toning to edges of text block..... More
They Came to Baghdad.
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1951. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's orange cloth with titles and imprint in black to spine. Typographic dust-jacket, priced at 8/6. Contents clean, ink name to endpaper, jacket rather used; chips and tears to extremities..... More
They Do it With Mirrors.
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1952. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.192. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Farnhill, priced at 10/6. Spotting and toning to edges; spotting also to endpapers. Crisp and clean internally. Jacket shows..... More