Unpublished for 90 years, Agatha Christie's extensive and evocative letters and photographs from her year-long round-the-world trip to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America as part of the British trade mission for the famous 1924 Empire Exhibition. In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10-month voyage around the British Empire with her husband as part of a trade mission to promote the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition. Leaving her two-year-old daughter behind with her sister, Agatha set sail at the end of January and did not return until December, but she kept up a detailed weekly correspondence with her mother, describing in detail the exotic places and people she encountered as the mission travelled through South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. The extensive and previously unpublished letters are accompanied by hundreds of photos taken on her portable camera as well as some of the original letters, postcards, newspaper cuttings and memorabilia collected by Agatha on her trip. Edited and introduced by Agatha Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, this unique travelogue reveals a new side to Agatha Christie, demonstrating how her appetite for exotic plots and locations for her books began with this eye-opening trip, which took place just after only her second novel had been published (the first leg of the tour to South Africa is very clearly the inspiration for the book she wrote immediately afterwards, The Man in the Brown Suit). The letters are full of tales of seasickness and sunburn, motor trips and surf boarding, and encounters with welcoming locals and overbearing Colonials. The Grand Tour is a book steeped in history, sure to fascinate anyone interested in the lost world of the 1920s. Coming from the pen of Britain's biggest literary export and the world's most widely translated author, it is also a fitting tribute to Agatha Christie and is sure to fascinate her legions of worldwide fans.
The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery
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'A compelling, entertaining and joyful read. It is the people she meets along the way for whom she saves her best prose... It is they, and her wonderful descriptions of them, that make this book as enjoyable as any of her novels.' - SUNDAY EXPRESS 'The 32-year-old Agatha is confident, full of laughter, and sharply observant. She misses none of the local gossip... We can see an author gathering material for future use - the courting couples, elderly clergymen, spinsters, male secretaries, gouty ex-army officers, and vamps with kohl-ringed eyes, who form Agatha Christie's typical cast of characters. The long sea voyages, sleeping compartments and dining cars will become the train in Murder on the Orient Express or the paddle steamer in Death on the Nile.' - DAILY MAIL
From the Back Cover
In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a ten-month voyage around the world. Her husband, Archibald Christie, had been invited to join a trade mission to promote the British Empire Exhibition, and Christie was determined to go with him. It was a life-changing decision for the young novelist, a true voyage of discovery that would inspire her future writing for years to come.
Placing her two-year-old daughter in the care of her sister, Christie set sail at the end of January and did not return home until December. Throughout her journey, she kept up a detailed weekly correspondence with her mother, describing the exotic places and the remarkable people she encountered as the mission traveled through South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Canada. Reproduced here for the first time, the letters are full of tales of seasickness and sunburn, motor trips and surfboarding, glamor and misery. The Grand Tour also brings to life the places and people Christie encountered through the photos she took on her portable camera, as well as some of the original postcards, newspaper cuttings, and memorabilia she collected on her trip.
Edited and introduced by Agatha Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, and accompanied by reminiscences from her own autobiography, this unique travelogue reveals a new adventurous side to Agatha Christie, one that would ultimately influence the stories that made her a household name.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
INSIGHTS INTO THE THOUGHTS OF A YOUNG AGATHA CHRISTIE PLUS A TOUR OF THE 1922 BRITISH EMPIRE
Dec 5 2012
By Gail Cooke
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
We see on a book jacket endorsement that Agatha Christie is one of that writer’s favorite authors. Then the writer adds after reading The Grand Tour she is also one of his favorite people. My sentiments exactly!
Almost as revelatory as a sit-down conversation with the grande dame of mysteries The Grand Tour is a fascinating collection of never before published letters and photographs detailing Christie’s travels around the British Empire in 1922. Most of the letters were sent to her mother and included photos taken with Christie’s own camera as well as newspaper clippings and various memorabilia. This collection is an insight into the thoughts and mind of a young Agatha Christie who had just published two novels and would later become the most widely published author of all time.
She and her husband, Archie, embarked on a year-long voyage as part of a promotional trade mission, so there was work involved as well as various obligations as they visited South Africa, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. Her letters to her mother were, of course, candid which for this reader greatly added to their charm. I especially enjoyed Christie’s slightly wicked sense of humor, such as when she describes a fellow passenger as “the only young thing on the ship, but although very pretty, is a terrible mutt.” Her observations of both people and places are acute and fascinating to read.
Mathew Prichard, Christie’s grandson, has done an excellent job of collecting, editing and introducing these letters. We are in his debt for The Grand Tour reminds us that Christie was not only an outstanding author but a remarkable woman as well.
- Gail Cooke
Almost as revelatory as a sit-down conversation with the grande dame of mysteries The Grand Tour is a fascinating collection of never before published letters and photographs detailing Christie’s travels around the British Empire in 1922. Most of the letters were sent to her mother and included photos taken with Christie’s own camera as well as newspaper clippings and various memorabilia. This collection is an insight into the thoughts and mind of a young Agatha Christie who had just published two novels and would later become the most widely published author of all time.
She and her husband, Archie, embarked on a year-long voyage as part of a promotional trade mission, so there was work involved as well as various obligations as they visited South Africa, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. Her letters to her mother were, of course, candid which for this reader greatly added to their charm. I especially enjoyed Christie’s slightly wicked sense of humor, such as when she describes a fellow passenger as “the only young thing on the ship, but although very pretty, is a terrible mutt.” Her observations of both people and places are acute and fascinating to read.
Mathew Prichard, Christie’s grandson, has done an excellent job of collecting, editing and introducing these letters. We are in his debt for The Grand Tour reminds us that Christie was not only an outstanding author but a remarkable woman as well.
- Gail Cooke
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
INSIGHTS INTO THE THOUGHTS OF A YOUNG AGATHA CHRISTIE PLUS A TOUR OF THE 1922 BRITISH EMPIRE
Dec 5 2012
By Gail Cooke
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
We see on a book jacket endorsement that Agatha Christie is one of that writer's favorite authors. Then the writer adds after reading The Grand Tour she is also one of his favorite people. My sentiments exactly!
Almost as revelatory as a sit-down conversation with the grande dame of mysteries The Grand Tour is a fascinating collection of never before published letters and photographs detailing Christie's travels around the British Empire in 1922. Most of the letters were sent to her mother and included photos taken with Christie's own camera as well as newspaper clippings and various memorabilia. This collection is an insight into the thoughts and mind of a young Agatha Christie who had just published two novels and would later become the most widely published author of all time.
She and her husband, Archie, embarked on a year-long voyage as part of a promotional trade mission, so there was work involved as well as various obligations as they visited South Africa, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. Her letters to her mother were, of course, candid which for this reader greatly added to their charm. I especially enjoyed Christie's slightly wicked sense of humor, such as when she describes a fellow passenger as "the only young thing on the ship, but although very pretty, is a terrible mutt." Her observations of both people and places are acute and fascinating to read.
Mathew Prichard, Christie's grandson, has done an excellent job of collecting, editing and introducing these letters. We are in his debt for The Grand Tour reminds us that Christie was not only an outstanding author but a remarkable woman as well.
- Gail Cooke
Almost as revelatory as a sit-down conversation with the grande dame of mysteries The Grand Tour is a fascinating collection of never before published letters and photographs detailing Christie's travels around the British Empire in 1922. Most of the letters were sent to her mother and included photos taken with Christie's own camera as well as newspaper clippings and various memorabilia. This collection is an insight into the thoughts and mind of a young Agatha Christie who had just published two novels and would later become the most widely published author of all time.
She and her husband, Archie, embarked on a year-long voyage as part of a promotional trade mission, so there was work involved as well as various obligations as they visited South Africa, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada. Her letters to her mother were, of course, candid which for this reader greatly added to their charm. I especially enjoyed Christie's slightly wicked sense of humor, such as when she describes a fellow passenger as "the only young thing on the ship, but although very pretty, is a terrible mutt." Her observations of both people and places are acute and fascinating to read.
Mathew Prichard, Christie's grandson, has done an excellent job of collecting, editing and introducing these letters. We are in his debt for The Grand Tour reminds us that Christie was not only an outstanding author but a remarkable woman as well.
- Gail Cooke
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A window into a bygone era
Feb 2 2013
By Julia L. Scott
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
For all Agatha Christie lovers this is a must-have book. Her letters and snapshots are terrific. It gives such a vivid snapshot into a bygone era of steamer ships and civility.
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing Editing
Feb 27 2013
By Diane Copley
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
On the whole, quite enjoyed the book, mainly because Agatha visited many of the countries I've visited 50+ years on. However, I was put off by the number of typos and poor sentence structure. I don't know if this was due to Mrs. Christie's actual writing or through editing by her grandson. It surprised me that a famous writer would write "naval oranges" or "births were booked on a ship" rather than navel and berths. Inaccuracies like this annoy me and interfere with my pleasure in a book.
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 10 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
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