The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
$27,658 · Offered by Biblio
London: John Lane, The Bodley Head,, 1921. The debut of Christie and Poirot First British edition of the author's first book. Printed on cheap, poor quality stock, and bound in thin cloth, copies are not usually found in such lovely and collectible condition. Christie embarked on a story featuring a detective named Poirot in 1914. Her inspirations were a challenge from her sister Madge, the refugees she saw in Torquay, and the poisons she encountered while working in the Voluntary Aid Detachment of a local hospital. The work was rejected by two publishers and left to languish a while with John Lane before he eventually published it in America in 1920 and in Britain in 1921. Octavo. Original brown cloth, spine and front cover lettered and decorated in an art nouveau style in black, top edge black. Cloth bright, extremities minimally bumped, split to front inner hinge but sound, occasional foxing. A near-fine copy.
- Year: 1921
- Binding: hardcover
Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.