Agatha Christie

CHRISTIE, Agatha (1890-1976). The Thirteen Problems. London: for the Crime Club Ltd. by W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1932.

Presentation copy of the first edition, inscribed by the author to her long time secretary, amanuensis, and close friend Charlotte ‘Carlo’ Fisher: ‘Carlo with love from Agatha Christie’. In 1924 Christie advertised a position for someone to act as both a governess for her five year old daughter Rosalind and as a secretary and typist. Charlotte Fisher (known later as ‘Carlo’), applied and was taken on by Christie. ‘She was young, highly intelligent, the daughter of an Edinburgh chaplain and - as one of her nieces described her – “a very splendid person” […] Charlotte also commanded instant respect from Rosalind and, despite the ten year age gap, got along very well with Agatha’ (L. Thompson, Agatha Christie, 2007, p. 165). The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) and And Then There Were None (1939) are both dedicated to Carlo; the latter also dedicated to Charlotte's sister Mary Fisher. Christie considered Carlo and Mary Fisher as among her most loyal friends who had stood by her in the aftermath of her disappearance in 1926, and both were witnesses at her marriage to Max Mallowan in 1930. This collection of short stories includes the earliest stories written about one of Christie’s best-known characters, Miss Marple. Hubin, p. 80; Wagstaff & Poole, pp. 80-81 (‘very hard to find’).

Octavo. Compliment slip from Wyman and Sons Limited (Reading, Berks.) loosely inserted, 6 pages of publisher’s advertisements at end. Publisher’s orange cloth, upper cover and spine lettered in black (spine faded and a little stained, closed tear to head, corners bumped, top edge of boards dust-stained, spotting to edges). Provenance: Charlotte ‘Carlo’ Fisher (1895-1976, secretary, amanuensis and close personal friend of Agatha Christie; presentation inscription from the author on front free endpaper and posthumous book label).