Christie, Agatha (1941) ‘Evil Under the Sun’, UK first edition with the original dust jacket and a lengthy original Christie letter

Agatha Christie (1941) ‘Evil Under the Sun‘, UK first edition, first printing, published by William Collins & Sons for The Crime Club. Together with a lengthy original handwritten Christie letter signed A. Mallowan, supplied with the original envelope.

The book’s condition: at least very good with remarkably fresh boards retaining the original colour bar a small bit at the top of spine where a small area of the dust jacket is missing. One affectionate neat birthday dedication in ink to the ffep. Usual light foxing to prelims. Most pages clean with occasional light foxing. The original, unrestored and untouched dust jacket is NOT price clipped displaying the 7s 6d net price as called for. Light toning to spine, with edge wear, a few tears and chipping as shown. A scarce book, especialy with an untouched original dust jacket.

The letter: original handwritten letter from Agatha Christie to Mrs Elliot on her Winterbrook House stationary,
dated Dec 5th, together with the envelope postmarked ‘Wallingford Berks 5 Dec 1963’:

Dear Mrs Eliot / Mrs Sewall walkded out last Tuesday night I gather – sent her friends to clear up – & says her doctor won’t let her come back & she has to have penicillin injections & to keep in the warmth out of draughts (Can’t do the latter in Greenway!!) / Irritating to happen just now – but really I think its for the best – Mr & Mrs Hicks and I feel the house will come to no harm shut up – (after all it was shut up for nine months after the Americans left with no Aga, boiler, etc. a great saving! – with someone coming in now and then to see its alright!) / *** will see that someone will look in every day to see nothing awful has happened. / What I would like is if you can manage is to spare one day a week and come in, air the house if fine give it a dust over – turn some radiators on if necessary etc – I think that is all that is needed./ I shall be able to come down for a day or two after Xmas & consult further – But I think this will meet the case until March when we can start up the house again. *** is seeing to letters being forwardded – and anyone who *** up there will be just unlucky!! / *** will have the keys and you can arrange with him – or possibly you might have the side door cloakroom key & he could keep the back door key – / Then you worked. / A builder said to me the other day – ‘Damp and cold doesn’t hurt a house – It’s central heating in a shut up house that brings dry rot – In some ways this is a relief & that woman couldn’t cook & it would have been a great worry – Now I can start again fresh! Hope you are all well / Yours A. Mallowan.

Provenance: acquired from an auction which sold books and and letters located at Agatha Christie’s former home, The Greenway House, Devon, UK.

Evil Under the Sun is another Inspector Hercule Poirot murder mystery set in Devon where Poirot is on holiday. Thus, the original letter which talks about Christie’s Greenway house in Devon make a nice pair. The house and surrounding served as inspiration of several of her novels including The A.B.C. Murders (1936); Five Little Pigs (1942); Towards Zero (1944); and Dead Man’s Folly (1956).