How Many Books Did Agatha Christie Write?

Introduction

Agatha Christie was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. She wrote spectacular mystery novels that have been translated into more than 40 languages and even adapted into film and television on multiple occasions. Though she has been in the public eye since her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, Agatha Christie remains one of the most popular and prolific writers of all time.

In fact, according to Guinness World Records, Christie wrote more books than any other author, with over two hundred works under her belt. However, the direct answer to the question about her writing is she penned over 80 novels under her own name and another 15 under the pen name Mary Westmacott. 

Some Important Facts about Her

1. Her real name was Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller.
2. Agatha Christie is credited with writing 66 different titles.
3. There are now over 2 billion copies of her books in print, which have been translated into 125 languages.
4. Christie’s debut book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published in 1920 and brought her into the limelight.
5. She wrote about 80 books during her lifetime, with an average of 3 per year.
6. Christie died on 12 January 1976, aged eighty-five.
7. The Mystery Writers Association gave Agatha Christie an honorary Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement in 1960.
8. She was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971 for her contribution to literature.
9. According to HarperCollins publishers, Christie is their best-selling author, with approximately 4 billion copies sold worldwide.

Her Wittings

Although Agatha Christie remained iconic during her lifetime as she provided an unmatchable mystery work to the world. Some of her major works include Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, And Then There Was None, La Maison biscornue, and Hallowe’en Party. Her last publication, Curtain, is a work of crime fiction and is widely accepted as being unfinished. It had originally been written as a stage play titled Spider’s Web, but it had not made much progress when Christie died suddenly and unexpectedly following a stroke. 

It was later adapted for television by ITV Studios, directed by David Moore and starring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. He then reprises his role in ITV Studios’ three follow-up productions: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (based on Christie’s first Poirot novel), Death On The Nile (based on her fourth), and Appointment With Death (based on her sixth). All four adaptations were co-produced with Acorn Media Enterprises.

The Queen of Crime

Agatha Christie is among the best-selling authors of all time, with over two billion copies sold. She wrote 66 novels and 14 short story collections. In addition to her writing career, she also worked as a pharmacist when she first moved to London and as a volunteer in World War II. During her lifetime, she received an honorary degree from Oxford University and was made a Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for services to literature.

 Despite having written so many books and novels, numerous people still are unfamiliar with her work. A few years ago, a bookseller had some unsold Agatha Christie books lying around his Brighton, Sussex (UK) shop. The bookseller discovered that most people weren’t interested because they didn’t know who she was or what her work entailed. If you read just six of her books, you will see why people have been reading them for decades.

Conclusion

No matter how many books Agatha Christie wrote, she’ll always be the most successful playwright in history. As of 2011, her plays have been translated into 103 languages. Moreover, her writings are one of the most performed living playwrights in the world. Her own life was the inspiration for a number of her novels.

Suggested Readings

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

What is Langston Hughes saying in his poem “I Too?”