"There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemingway

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
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1972. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xii; 243 [1]. Publisher's pink quarter cloth, with black and gilt titles to spine, and grey and pink patterned paper over boards. Top edge and endpapers pink. With the dust-jacket designed by J...... More
London: The Crime Club, 1972. [Detective fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.256; [2] blank. Publisher's patterned red cloth with gilt titles to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket priced £1.60. No inscriptions. A little dusty and toned; near fine. A late but essential Poirot novel. 'Christie is at her most..... More
London: The Readers Library Publishing Co., no date [1929]. [Detective Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (17 x 11cm), pp188; [2], advertisements. Printed foreword as pastedown. Publisher's cloth in illustrated dust-wrapper by Vernon L Soper. Contents toned as expected, jacket very lightly worn with a few small nicks. A most attractive..... More
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1957. [Crime fiction] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[4] 256 [6]. Finely bound by the Baker Bindery, Anniston, Alabama in green full morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, green patterned paste-paper endpapers, generous turn-ins ruled in gilt..... More
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1957. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's red cloth with black titles to spine. With the red and black illustrated dust-jacket, priced clipped. Some dustiness and toning, faint erasure to rear panel, spine is not faded. Uncommon thus..... More
London: Collins for the Crime Club, 1953. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.192. Publisher's orange cloth with black titles to spine, dust-jacket designed by Beytagh, priced at 10/6. No inscriptions. A near fine copy of the book, in a lightly used wrapper with a few minor nicks..... More
London: Paul Hamlyn, 1969-1970. [Mystery / Crime] LEATHER BOUND SET. In 24 volumes. Octavo (20 x 14 x 82cm). Elegantly bound in mid brown half oasis morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles to contrasting red and green labels, and further gilt decoration to spines. Marbled paper over boards; top edges..... More
London: Paul Hamlyn, 1969-1970. [Mystery / Crime] LEATHER BOUND SET. In 24 volumes. Octavo (20 x 14 x 82cm). Handsomely bound in half terracotta oasis morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles to contrasting orange and olive green labels, and further gilt decoration to spines. Marbled paper over boards; top edges..... More
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
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1938. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.252 [10]. Elegantly bound in half red oasis morocco over cloth sides, spine ruled in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt. A few light and occasional spots else internally clean and..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. [Crime fiction] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Finely bound by the Baker Bindery, Anniston, Alabama in green full morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, green patterned paste-paper endpapers, generous turn-ins ruled in gilt, with gilt motifs of..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's brick red cloth with gilt titles to spine and black weave-decoration to boards. With the dust-jacket designed by Brian Russell. Discreet ink ownership. Fine in a near fine wrapper which is toned to..... More
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1966. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[12] 272 [4]. Publisher's red quarter cloth, with black and gilt titles to spine, and red cloth-effect paper over boards. Top edge and endpapers red. With the illustrated dust-jacket priced at $4.50. A...... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1965. [Crime Fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.256. Publisher's brick red cloth with gilt titles to spine and black weave-decoration to boards. With the dust-jacket designed by Brian Russell. Exceptionally clean and fresh. An unquestionably fine copy. When Miss Marple comes up..... More
London: W. Collins and Sons. 1927. [Crime] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.v, 281; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, titles in red to spine and upper. Some spotting to contents and edges (thick, fluffy paper is susceptible), covers fresh and bright, spine gently toned, lightly worn at tips. A very..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1968. [Crime fiction] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.255; [1]. Finely bound by the Baker Bindery, Anniston, Alabama in green full morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, green patterned paste-paper endpapers, generous turn-ins ruled in gilt, with gilt motifs..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1968. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.255; [1] advertisement. Publisher's mid green cloth in yellow dust-wrapper designed by Kenneth Farnhill priced 21s. Top edge a little toned, some minor wear to same otherwise a clean, fine copy. The fourth of five..... More
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1968. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 275 [3]. Publisher's pink quarter cloth, with black and gilt titles to spine, and black paper over boards. Top edge pink. With the dust-jacket designed by Salem Tamer. Light toning and spotting..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1968. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.255; [1] advertisement. Publisher's mid green cloth in yellow dust-wrapper designed by Kenneth Farnhill priced 21s. No inscriptions. A clean, fine copy in similar jacket, slightly age-toned to the spine. The fourth of five books..... More
London: Published for the Crime Club by Collins, 1936. [Crime fiction] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[4] 286 [8]. Finely bound by the Baker Bindery, Anniston, Alabama in green full morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, green patterned paste-paper endpapers, generous turn-ins ruled in gilt..... More
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1965. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 245 [1]. Publisher's green quarter cloth, with black and gilt titles to spine, and green cloth-effect paper over boards. Top edge and endpapers green. With the illustrated dust-jacket priced at $4.50. Crisp..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 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, illustrated dust-wrapper priced at 16s. Book is fine, jacket with some minor dustiness and a fraction toned to the..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Crime fiction] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255; [1]. Finely bound by the Baker Bindery, Anniston, Alabama in green full morocco, with gilt titles and decoration to spine, green patterned paste-paper endpapers, generous turn-ins ruled in gilt, with gilt motifs..... More
New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1960. [Crime Mystery] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.224. Publisher's grey leatherette, with purple titles to spine, and a purple 'Red Badge Detective' device to upper. Top edge pink, fore-edge untrimmed. With the dust-jacket designed by Salem Tamer, priced at $2.95..... More
London: The Crime Club by Collins, 1959. [Detective novel] FIRST EDITION. 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) tear to..... More