Agatha Christie: Queen Of Crime In News Again

Agatha Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) continues to get into limelight with dramatic regularity. Her play “Mousetrap” has become the world’s longest running play. And now Agatha Christie has set a new world record – for the book with the thickest spine (see photo above).

Measuring over a foot long, with 4,032 pages, the volume contains the complete Miss Marple stories – all 12 novels and 20 short stories.
With 252, 16-page hand-sewn sections, the production values of this limited edition are amazing and the attention to detail is remarkable. More here…

I lived in London for a few months in the mid-1970s. I was a young struggling journalist then (and proudly continue the tradition even now). Knowing my interest in theatre, my kind friends used to gift me tickets for plays including “The Mousetrap”. I am told that the play is still running after more than 23,000 performances.

In 1955 Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s highest honour, the Grand Master Award, and in the same year, Witness for the Prosecution was given an Edgar Award by the MWA, for Best Play.

Most of her books and short stories have been filmed, some many times over (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and 4.50 From Paddington for instance), and many have been adapted for television, radio, video games and comics. More here…

The Ann Arbor News tells us that “The Mousetrap” continues at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, this weekend only, at the Arthur Miller Theater, 1226 Murfin. Tickets are $20, $16 for students and seniors. To make a reservation, e-mail info@emergentarts.com.