"Very few of us are what we seem."— Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
The queen of mystery
Agatha Miller was born in Torquay, a small English seaside town. Her mother homeschooled her, and Agatha was so shy that her mom didn't even teach her to read until she was 8. Agatha read everything anyway, mostly Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
As a young woman she trained as a nurse during World War I, then worked in a hospital pharmacy. She learned everything about poisons. Later, this would come in handy. (For her books.)
Quick Facts
- Born: September 15, 1890
- From: Torquay, Devon, England
- Job: Mystery novelist, playwright
- Famous for: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie has sold over 2 billion books. Only the Bible and Shakespeare have sold more copies than her novels. Some of her books are translated into more than 100 languages.
Her Famous Stories
Read Christie's stories on Worldly
Christie wrote some of the best mystery puzzles in the English language. On Worldly, every page is adapted to your reading level.
1926A wealthy man is found dead in his study. Poirot is on the case. The twist at the end is legendary.
1934A passenger is murdered on the Orient Express. The train is snowed in. Poirot has to figure out which of the trapped passengers did it.
1939Ten strangers are invited to a remote island. One by one, they start dying. The bestselling mystery novel of all time.
Her Life, Year by Year
From shy reader to queen of mystery
Christie's life had a couple of dramatic moments to match the suspense of her books.
Born in seaside Torquay
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller is born in Torquay, Devon. Her family is comfortable, and she's homeschooled.
She marries and goes to war
Agatha marries Archie Christie. World War I starts. Agatha trains as a nurse and works at a hospital pharmacy.
Her first mystery
Agatha publishes The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing Hercule Poirot. It does okay.
She disappears for 11 days
Agatha's mother dies. Then her husband leaves her for another woman. Agatha disappears mysteriously for 11 days. She's found in a hotel hundreds of miles from home using a fake name. She never publicly explained what happened. It made her famous in a strange way.
Miss Marple debuts
Agatha publishes The Murder at the Vicarage, introducing her other famous detective Miss Jane Marple, a sharp-eyed elderly woman from an English village.
Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha publishes Murder on the Orient Express, a passenger is murdered on a snowed-in train and Poirot has to figure out which of the trapped passengers did it. One of her most famous books.
And Then There Were None
Agatha publishes And Then There Were None, ten strangers invited to a remote island start dying one by one. It becomes the bestselling mystery novel of all time.
Dame Agatha
Queen Elizabeth II makes Agatha a Dame of the British Empire, the female equivalent of a knight.
She dies in Oxfordshire
Agatha dies peacefully at her country home, age 85. She'd written 66 novels and 14 short story collections.
Two Famous Detectives
Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple
Christie invented two completely different detectives, and both became famous around the world.
Hercule Poirot
The fussy Belgian
Tiny. Mustachioed. Vain. Foreign. Brilliant. Poirot calls his approach "the little grey cells." He solves crimes by sitting still and thinking about who would benefit from the murder.
Miss Marple
The knitting old lady
An elderly woman in a tiny English village who solves crimes that stump Scotland Yard. Her secret, she's seen every kind of human behavior in her village over a long life, and crime always reminds her of something.
Christie's signature
The twist nobody saw coming
Christie's trademark is the impossible twist at the end. The murderer turns out to be someone the reader trusted completely. Other mystery writers have copied her endings for a hundred years.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Agatha Christie
She's the bestselling novelist in history
Christie has sold more than 2 billion books. Only the Bible and Shakespeare have sold more. Her books are translated into more than 100 languages.
She disappeared mysteriously for 11 days
In 1926, after her mother died and her husband asked for a divorce, Agatha vanished. Her car was found abandoned. After 11 days she was discovered in a hotel hundreds of miles away under a fake name. She never publicly explained why.
She knew about poisons from work
Agatha worked in a hospital pharmacy during World War I and learned all about drugs and poisons. Many of her murders use real poisons in scientifically accurate ways.
She married a famous archaeologist
After her divorce, Agatha married Max Mallowan, a famous British archaeologist. She traveled with him on digs in Iraq and Syria, and several of her novels are set in those countries.
She wrote the longest-running play in history
Christie's play The Mousetrap has been performed continuously in London since 1952. It's still running today, more than 70 years later.
She was made a Dame in 1971
Queen Elizabeth II made Agatha a Dame of the British Empire (the female version of a knight) in 1971, five years before Agatha died.
Good questions, answered
Agatha Christie FAQ
Are her mysteries scary?+
More puzzling than scary. Christie's books focus on figuring out WHO did it, not on gore or fear. The Worldly versions are adapted for ages 9 and up, with any disturbing moments handled gently.
What's the Mousetrap?+
It's a play by Agatha Christie that opened in London in 1952. It's been performed every week since, making it the longest-running play in history. Audiences are sworn to secrecy about the ending.
Did she really disappear?+
Yes! In 1926, Agatha vanished for 11 days. Her car was found abandoned. Police searched everywhere. She was eventually found in a hotel hundreds of miles from home under a fake name. She never explained publicly what happened. It's still one of literature's small mysteries.
What age is Christie good for?+
Christie's mysteries work well for ages 10 and up. The Worldly version simplifies the language and softens any disturbing moments, so kids ages 8 and up can enjoy them.
Is Hercule Poirot French?+
No, Belgian! Poirot is from Belgium, and he gets very offended when anyone calls him French. It's a running joke through Christie's books.
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