Agatha Christie, crime novelist, playwright, poet, travel and short-story writer, has sold more than one billion copies of her books since 1920 and been translated into more languages than William Shakespeare, second only to the Bible. She also wrote romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott and is considered the most commercially successful woman writer of all time. Her play The Mousetrap, playing at theaters in London since 1952, is the longest-running play in the world. In addition, her work has appeared frequently in West End and New York City theaters, is performed widely in repertory companies, and has been adapted for hundreds of radio, screen, and stage productions. The literature available on her life and work is extensive, from armchair companions on her fictional characters, biographies, and autobiographies to more recent academic studies.

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 13 September 1890 in Torquay, Devon, the youngest of three...