The British Library has announced a celebration of Agatha Christie and her legacy in 2026 marking 50 years since her death.
Developed with support from Agatha Christie Limited and The Christie Archive Trust, the exhibition will examine not only the origins of fictional creations such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, but will also go behind the characters and stories to explore Christie’s life, her travels, and her wide-ranging interests including archaeology and pharmacology. Next year also marks 100 years since the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Christie’s third Poirot novel, and 50 years since the publication of Sleeping Murder, Miss Marple’s ‘last’ case.
Lovers of the written word and her stories will be able to see a vast array of artefacts at the display, including her Remington typewriter from 1937, which is thought to be what Agatha Christie used to write And Then There Were None, among other works.
You’ll be able to view her typescript of House of Beauty, the first short story she wrote as a teenager, plus her notes for the Witness For The Prosecution theatre adaptation, and letters to her family, which include a note to her husband about her journey on the Orient Express. Also featured in the exhibition will be photographs of her travels & family photographs, with trips to Egypt, Hawaii, and Southern Africa on display.
A section of the Agatha Christie exhibition will delve into how her stories have influenced crime writing during her life and right up to the present day for contemporary authors. This part will also look at how her tales have been adapted to the stage and screen, with an examination of the wide-reaching impact they continue to have.
Speaking on the news, Jamie Andrews, Director of Public Engagement at the British Library, said: “Next year marks 50 years since the death of Agatha Christie, the most famous crime writer of all time and we’re honoured to be working with The Christie Archive Trust and Agatha Christie Limited on this very special exhibition to mark her legacy.
“This will be the biggest exhibition held in the UK in the last 20 years to celebrate Christie’s writing and will feature items from our own collection, lenders and the Trust, including material never displayed before. The 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.”
Highlights will also include:
the typescript of The House of Beauty, Agatha Christie’s first short story written when she was a teenager
Christie’s study notes for her pharmaceutical exam taken in 1917
family photographs of Christie throughout her life, including her travels in Egypt, Hawaii and Southern Africa
personal letters from Christie to family members, including one to her second husband about her journey on the Orient Express
Throughout the display of her notebooks, personal letters and early manuscript drafts, visitors will also have the chance to listen to Christie’s own voice through her dictaphone recordings and to view personal objects belonging to Christie, many of which provided direct inspiration for her stories and have never been on public display before.
Born in Torquay, England in 1890, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. With more than one billion books sold in English and another billion in over 100 languages, she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Agatha Christie was made a Dame (DBE) in 1971 and died in 1976 at the age of 85.
The Agatha Christie exhibition opens at the British Library on October 30, 2026, running until June 20, 2027.
