45 years after her death, a collection of letters and photographs that provide a glimpse into Agatha Christie’s private life has been made available.
These photographs show the legendary crime writer celebrating with friends her 81st Birthday on Dartmoor, Devon in 1971, five year before her death in 1975.
The 26 autographed cards and letters were sent to Elizabeth Callow (long-time friend)
A descendant of Ms Callow has now decided to put the archive up for sale with Chiswick Auctions of West London and it is expected to fetch £3,500.
These letters cover a lot of Christie’s later years, when her health began to decline.
Christie mentions her 1971 birthday and also talks about a snowy Christmas at Greenway, her Devon property.
She mentions her work occasionally. A letter from October 1970 mentions a shortage of copies her spy novel “Passenger to Frankfurt”.
45 years after her death, a collection of letters and photographs that provide a glimpse into Agatha Christie’s private life has been made public. These photographs show Agatha Christie (left) celebrating her 1981th birthday on Dartmoor in 1971. This was five years before her death in 1975.
The 26 autographed cards and letters were sent to Elizabeth Callow, the author’s long-time friend. A descendant of Ms Callow has now decided to put the archive up for sale with Chiswick Auctions of West London and it is expected to fetch £3,500
Christie is seen posing above as her picture is taken during the day out on Dartmoor with her friends to celebrate her birthday
Christie wrote, “I would send you Passenger from Frankfurt but I have no more – owing the birthday rush – and Collins are having their new edition out already.”
She told Miss Callow, in January 1971, about the Devon family Christmas that she had just enjoyed.
After returning to Winterbrook House in Wallingford (Oxfordshire), she wrote: ‘We just got back from a nice, but hectic, and snowy Xmas @ Greenway.
‘Very cold and frosty outside*Practically everyone had colds including the children, only I escaped. Perhaps germs don’t like the elderly.
In a September 1971 letter, she mentioned her 81st Birthday.
She said that she had a pleasant birthday in Devon, with a picnic and mild weather on Dartmoor.
The same letter also highlights her sense of humor.
She wrote: “I hope that I’ve got Elizabeth right!” Problems can arise when one relies only on the names of Christian friends – and because one communicates via telephone so that one doesn’t recognize handwriting –
Later in 1971, her health took a bad turn.
In a second letter, she wrote in October 1971 about breaking her hip from tripping on a rug.
Christie wrote about the day out and said that she had a pleasant birthday in Devon. She enjoyed a picnic and was able to enjoy mild weather on Dartmoor. She also highlighted her witty senses of humor in the same letter. She wrote: “I hope I’ve got Elizabeth right!” Problems can arise when one relies only on the names of Christian friends – and because one communicates via telephone so that one doesn’t recognize handwriting –
Taking a break: Christie is seen taking a rest on a bench after a long day on Dartmoor. Later in 1971, Christie’s health began to decline.
She wrote, “I fractured my hip in July. It had to be operated on. But I get along on sticks quite well. It was an idiotic act to tripped on a corner of a rug.
She mentions it again in May 2012 when she says: “I was also quite lame and had again to use sticks.”
‘My surgeon said my hip was perfectly all right – this was what he called an aftermath* Don’t bend too much in your market garden and put a hot water bottle to your back at night!’
Christie sold 300 million books over her lifetime, making her the most successful fiction writer of all time.
Postern of Fate was her final novel.
In 1974, she had a heart attack. She also suffered another serious fall. After that, she was unable write. In 1976, she was 85 years old.
The archive also contains 14 letters and cards from Max Mallowan, Christie’s husband as an archaeologist. These mostly cover work-related matters, since Elizabeth Callow was also a archaeologist. However, there is also a letter written after Agatha died, in which Elizabeth thanks Agatha for her kind words.
Christie sold 300 million books over her lifetime, making her the most successful fiction writer of all time. Above: These are the birthday snaps of Christie’s friends
Christie enjoys her lazy picnic lunch in Dartmoor’s tree. One friend lies flattened on his back while her female friends are dressed in light summer dresses.
Cracking open the fizz. Christie’s second husband Max Mallowan can be seen holding a bottle champagne as he takes his picture
This colour image shows Christie relaxing with her friends and pets next to a group of rocks on Dartmoor.
The smartly dressed group enjoyed picnic with beer bottles laid out on the grass. To stop the dogs running away, their leads were hung over a post.
Valentina Borghi from Chiswick Auctions said that the letters were an account of her private life. They don’t go into her work, but give us a glimpse into her private life.
“They have never been seen before, and they have been kept by Elizabeth Callow’s family, tucked away for years in the attic. They want them to go to someone who can enjoy them more.
‘Elizabeth Callow worked as an archaeologist, and also did research with Agatha’s husband Max Mallowan. This is how they met.
‘It was an intimate friendship, the letters cover around 20 years and she was also very close to Max, writing to Max when Agatha was gone.
“As a collection, we think this could do really well. Agatha Christie has a strong reputation on the market. Autographs by her are not common.
“Collectors” really need to wait to get anything from her.
“With the Death on the Nile film, which was due to be released last spring but was delayed due to Covid’s interference, I think there will again be an interest in her work.
The archive will be available for sale in London on November 9th.
The archive will be sold at Chiswick Auctions in West London on November 9, 2009. Valentina Borghi, Chiswick Auctions, stated that the letters were an account of her life, and what she was doing. Although they don’t really go into the work of her, they provide insight into her private world.
Legendary British crime writer, Agatha Christie, mysteriously vanished in 1926 and reappeared days later in Harrogate.
Agatha Christie is one of Britain’s most celebrated authors, having lifted the murder mystery genre to new heights with her much-loved novels featuring fictitious detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
She was born in Torquay, Devon, in September 1890 and wrote her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, while working as a nurse during World War I. It was published in 1920, after the end of the Great War.
Christie went on to have an illustrious career as a wordsmith, writing a total of 66 detective novels, a series of short stories and the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap.
The most interesting aspect of her life is her disappearance from Berkshire in 1926.
Historians debate for nearly 100 years the reason Rosalind vanished at the height her fame. She left Sunningdale after leaving behind her seven-year old daughter Rosalind.
After a search that involved more than a thousand officers, she was located at Harrogate in North Yorkshire.
Agatha Christie (seen 1949) is Britain’s most famous author. She has raised the popularity of murder mysteries with her beloved novels featuring fictional detectives Hercule poirot and Miss Marple.
Christie, a 36-year-old detective author best known for Miss Marple and Poirot novels, was grieving for the loss of her mother at the time.
Her husband, Colonel Archie Christie was a pilot in World War One and had just announced that his wife wanted a divorce. He was in love with a younger lady.
A massive manhunt was launched, and her car was discovered abandoned between Dorking in Surrey and Guildford in Surrey.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes) joined the search that made national newspaper headlines.
Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan, a British archaeologist, leave London in January 1933.
Some claimed that she drowned at a nearby pool, but the body was not found.
Finally, she was found by a musician who called police in Harrogate when she checked into a hotel with no luggage and used Teresa Neele, the name of the woman with whom her husband was in a relationship.
Christie divorced Archie in 1929, and she married Max Mallowan on 30 June 1930.
In 1971, she was made a Dame and she died in January 1976 at the age of 85. She has sold over two billion books, and her stage play The Mousetrap lasted a record 66-years.
She was a passionate fan of cricket and spent many hours under an oak tree at Barton Cricket Club, watching and scoring the games.