British Library opens exhibition on Agatha Christie's personal life

The British Library in London opened a new exhibition titled Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery on 30 October.

The display features more than 200 personal objects and travel scenes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the author's death. The collection aims to show a side of the writer that differs from her famous fictional character Miss Marple. Visitors can see a 1937 typewriter that the author used to write mysteries while traveling with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan.

The exhibition also includes personal photographs from her childhood in Devon, short films from the 1930s, and a full size train carriage that reflects her travels across Europe and the East. The display includes specific items related to her professional work, such as a manual by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the deductive method used by Sherlock Holmes. It also features a cabinet of toxins and handwritten notes about poisons, including thallium.

The library notes that Christie’s detailed description of thallium poisoning in her book The Yellow Carriage saved at least three lives. The exhibition remains open until 25 June.