Major Agatha Christie exhibition to open at British Library

Marking 50 years since Agatha Christie’s death, Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery will lift the curtain on both the work and life of the best-selling novelist of all time. The origins of her iconic characters including Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple will be revealed, as well as how Chritie’s life informed her work. 

“Truly one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century.”

James Prichard, CEO and chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and Agatha Christie’s great-grandson

Groups will explore the author’s upbringing, her interests and travels, and how she adapted her novels for the stage through five immersive sections filled with items from her personal life, many of which have never been on display before. These will include her typewriter, family photographs, notebooks, transcripts for novels, and correspondence with other writers. 

James Prichard, CEO and chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and Agatha Christie’s great-grandson, said: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with the British Library for this major exhibition dedicated to my great grandmother’s extraordinary life and works.” 

“It feels fitting to do this to help mark the 50th anniversary of her death; this combines an opportunity for quiet reflection, but also an opportunity to celebrate the immense achievements of her life. Hers was truly one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century.”

Items have been chosen by Prichard’s father, and Christie’s grandson, Mathew, to provide both professional and personal perspectives on Christie’s legacy. 

Journey through her life

The exhibition will be split into five themed sections designed to immerse you in Agatha Christie’s world:

• The country house - exploring Christie’s childhood and how her early years influenced the setting of many of her novels.
• The dispensary - looking at her years volunteering as a nurse and pharmacy dispenser during the First World War and how that knowledge helped shape her crime writing.
• The train - styled like the Orient Express to evoke the glamour of the 1920s as well as insight into the author’s use of ‘closed circle mystery’ tropes.
• The dig - visitors will find themselves at an archaeological site during the 1930s, Christie’s most prolific writing period while she was married to archaeologist Max Mallowan.
• The theatre - ending the journey in the West End in the 1950s where her stage adaptations brought joy and escapism to post-war audiences. 

Early examples of her writing, childhood photographs and a notebook from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle illustrating Sherlock’s method of investigation are some of the oldest items on display. Costumes from TV and film adaptations of her novels will also be exhibited, alongside plot notes, letters from her husbands (Christie was married twice), and rare footage featuring and shot by Christie herself. 

Along the way, visitors will also be able to play their hand at sleuthing by finding clues and ‘Easter eggs’ hidden throughout the exhibition.

A landmark exhibit

This will be the largest exhibition in the UK in 25 years dedicated to the novelist. “Visitors will see over 100 items from different periods in her life, drawn from the British Library’s own collection, the Christie Archive Trust and other lenders”, according to Lucy Rowland, the exhibition’s lead curator. 

“Her impact on crime fiction as a genre has been immense and this exhibition will take visitors back to Christie’s childhood and explore her journey to becoming an iconic writer, while celebrating how adaptions of her novels for stage and screen continue to enthral audiences today, over 50 years after her death.”

Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery opens on 30th October at the British Library and will run until 20th June 2027. Accompanying the exhibition will be displays and crime fiction events celebrating Christie’s influence on literature at public libraries across the UK.