The Grand Tour: Letters and Photographs from the British Empire Expedition 1922

by Agatha Christie, Mathew Prichard (Editor)

Unpublished for 90 years, Agatha Christie's extensive and evocative letters and photographs from her year-long round-the-world trip to South Africa, Australia, New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 The extensive and previously unpublished letters are accompanied by hundreds of photos taken on her portable camera as well as some of the original letters, postcards, newspaper cuttings and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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Agatha Christie, Travel, Biography, History, Memoir, Audiobook

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has ever read Dame Agatha Christie or anything about her, they will know that she travelled a lot, and thus her characters did, too. It definitely broadened her storytelling, and gave an international scenic flair to a lot of her stories.

The editor of this story is Mathew Prichard, the grandson of Agatha Christie, his Nima. And, this book is the telling of his grandmother’s 10-month sailing trip around the world. Which she took with her then husband, Archibald Christie, who was part of the trade mission to promote the 1924 British Empire Exhibitions.

This book, in her writing, includes her notes, postcards, pictures and letters that were sent to family while she was away. Even leaving her then 2-year-old daughter, Rosalind (Rosy) in the care of her sister.

Prichard makes mention that this trip took place 90 years ago to the day of his writing the book, a 2012 publication. And, here I am reading and reviewing about it 105 years later! So, how did that come to be?

This book was displayed prominently at my local library in celebration of Women’s History Month this March, 2025. Being a fan of Ms. Christie, I was curious to explore this personal aspect of her life. Especially as I looked into the young eyes of Madame Christie on the book cover.

Prichard begins by including a preface by Madame Christie from her book “An Autobiography.” And, then, as readers we are off on the adventure with her. We soon are aware of the carefree, youthful spirit, young wife enjoying the attentions of her husband (before his betrayal) that comprises our “tour guide.”

As much as she may ask about her dear Rosy, we are certainly aware of her enjoyment of freedom that this trip is bringing to her. She is wild and flirty and fun, and, this is felt easily through her writings. This ‘Grand Tour’ also gives indications of the last days of the British empire, which showcased her rank and class, and an obliviousness to what was happening in the changing world.

For anyone who is a fan of Christie’s mysteries, she is enthusiastic about the various people she meets on the journey. Which leads one to ask, could some of her future characters have been a caricature of some of the people she met on this adventure?

Those who love her mysteries, or are fans of historical travel narratives, this may be an appealing view of the past through one’s favorite author’s rose-colored glasses. Even Christie’s stories, seen through modern eyes, still have the power to captivate.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

So not too much to say here. I really enjoyed reading this as we follow Christie as she travels around the world. We get to see her real life letters, photos, and other things that were kept that showcased her travels from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Honolulu, Canada, and then back to England. The main reason why I gave this just four stars though is that this just doesn't have a lot of great insight I think into Christie. We see letters she wrote to her mother for the most part. The letters I thought were charming and she definitely can write descriptions of people and places to the point you feel that you are there too. However, I didn't see a lot here that would give me a great insight into what drove her thinking when she wrote her books or what she really felt about things.

"The Grand Tour" follows Agatha Christie and her first husband, Archie, as they begin a 10 month trip from England and back again in 1922. Agatha Christie had given birth to her daughter Rosalind, but decided that she would accompany Archie who was a member of the British Empire Exhibition Mission party.

The Christies travel around the world and have to deal with some people who you wonder if they ended up in any of Christie's works in the future. For example, the general manager of the commission was Major Ernest Albert Belcher who was aggravating to the extreme. I think at one point in South Africa it's implied that if they eat anything that the "natives" provide, they were just asking for death.

Even though Agatha suffered from really bad seasickness and still didn't seem at home on a boat, she still traveled and met with people eagerly. I loved reading about how she and her husband learned to surf. I think that Moonlight was the first person to tell me that Christie learned to surf and it does boggle my mind that women at this time were doing this. It seems as if this would be an activity that most people would deem too manly.

The writing was quite clear and crisp. We get headers to let us know the date of letters and you get a foreword and afterword by Christie's grandson. I would love to read a better nonfiction book about Christie since the one I read last year by Laura Thompson was practically unreadable. This book did a good job of giving me a glimpse of her life.

[Verena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grand Tour; Around the World with the Queen of Mystery is a collection of Agatha Christie’s letters, photographs, memorabilia, and excerpts from her autobiography. The focus is a ten-month trip in 1922. Christie accompanied her husband who was a member of the British Empire Exhibition Mission party. This trade commission visited South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Agatha and Archie Christie also had a mid-trip vacation in Hawaii. Christie wrote lively descriptions and observations about the locations and the people they met. But the most memorable character was the megalomanic general manager of the delegation, Major Ernest Albert Belcher. His behavior was petulant and childish when he felt he was not being treated as befitted his august position. He threw tantrums that embarrassed his English companions who were trying to encourage participation in the exhibition. Christie showed remarkable interest in the tours provided to the visitors that included coal mines, diamond mines, logging operations, fruit plantations, canneries, sheep farms, and grain elevators. She was also a terrific sport about traveling on wretched roads in unreliable cars and truck beds, on slow trains, and ocean voyages that made her horrifically seasick. The group encountered substandard food and lodging. But they were also given royal welcomes by heads of state and politicians. Two surprises awaited the Christies when they reached Hawaii. They thought they had mastered surfboarding in South Africa and were shocked to encounter Pacific Ocean waves. They were also naïve about the strength of the noonday sun and suffered terrible sunburns. This book was easy to pick up and put down, a good choice to read during the busy holidays.

[lise.charmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nel 1922 la giovane Agatha Christie e il primo marito Archibald (di cui lei mantenne il cognome) si aggregarono a un viaggio missione nei domini dell'Impero Britannico per sponsorizzare la partecipazione a un'Esposizione Universale.
Fu un viaggio di 10 mesi tra Sudafrica, Australia e Nuova Zelanda, Hawaii, Canada.
Il viaggio viene ricostruito dal nipote mettendo insieme lettere, fotografie, ritagli e memorabilia, oltre a brani dell'autobiografia della regina del giallo.
Ne esce un epistolario brillante (la Agatha dei tempi era una vera compagnona!) in cui la giovane donna osserva il mondo con occhi curiosi e pieni di entusiasmo. Non si lamenta praticamente mai, anche se le scomodità del viaggio furono sicuramente tante, ripagate però dalla bellezza dei luoghi visitati.
Il racconto è un po' funestato dalla miriade di nomi di persone con cui Agatha pranzò, giocò a golf, prese un treno, che per il lettore non hanno significato (e forse nemmeno tanto per la madre che riceveva le lettere), ma al quale giustamente non erano diretti.
Il volume è bellissimo, ricco delle fotografie che Agatha scattò ininterrottamente, di menu, articoli di giornale e immagini delle lettere autografe.
Un piccolo tesoro che sono felice di conservare nella mia libreria.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delight. It consisted of Agatha Christie's diary entries, letters home, and photos from her 1922 trip. Her first husband, Archie, was part of a touring delegation promoting the British Empire Exhibition and Agatha was able to go along. They went to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii (Agatha and Archie's private vacation), and Canada. She wrote about the people they travelled with and those she met, the wonderful scenery, and their daily activities, which included SURFING. I'd never imagined her as a surfer, but she was, and she loved it. It was quite interesting and showed the young Agatha who was just beginning to make a name for herself. She was writing here as an ordinary person, not as the future famous author. Very informal and enjoyable.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all books of this sort, it is full of we went here on January 22, 1922 and then somewhere else. We met so-and-so who knows what’s his name and is married to Lord Bailey. We loved this place but not that one. Every one was so nice to us and they have lovely servants.
Interesting look at life of the spoiled British as the Empire starts to collapse.
Lots of really poor photos.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trucking along on my read of Agatha-adjacent nonfiction, we came to The Grand Tour. I was intrigued by this trip, which was discussed in her autobiography, and alluded to in other works. But I didn't know about this book until I saw it at a bookshop in St. Louis last fall.

As I said, I knew most of the bones of the trip. But this is a live-action account of it, in letter form. The book is edited by her grandson, and he has reproduced about 90 of her letters that she wrote home to her mother. And she was a very loyal letter writer! They are chatty and fun, just as her autobiography is. He even says that she appears in these letters as a different person than he knew growing up, which is not too surprising, given both that most people get a different side of a grandparent, and that just a few years after this trip, she would have her horrible year, with her mother dying, her husband leaving her, and her mysterious disappearance (slash/breakdown).

The way the book is arranged is that the portions that pertain to the trip from her autobiography are used as introductions to each section. This works in that they are kind of pencil sketches of the areas visited. The book is sectioned by continent/country. However, this has the effect of making some of the letters feel repetitive, because we had just read that in the introduction. But in a particularly long section, like the section on Australia, you might not remember where you read the bit about the Bells. So it is a bit of deja vu. I'm sure this proves the idea that she took a lot of the discussion of this trip in her autobiography directly from the letters, the archive of which her mother kept and Agatha held on to after her mother's death.

So if you've read the autobiography, give it a minute. This book is still worth your time. It is chock full of photos, and the layout is nice and spacious. I also like that they have included photos of some of the actual letters. If you are into paleography at all, you can have some fun with that (like where I noticed that in one case, the transliteration was Darling Mummy when the letter clearly says Dearest Mummy p92). Her handwriting was a task! But very fun to look at. (There was also one spot where they showed the same letter twice, when it appeared that they meant to show something else p336/338.) There are lots of great pieces of ephemera pictured as well, including tickets, menus and brochures. There were even newspaper clippings included, which if you have very good eyes, you could make out most of, and see all the Mrs. Charles Jones and such who were at the festivities. (It simply kills me that women never had their own first names.)

The whole trip was supposed to be a promotional tour for a grand trade exhibit that was going to take place in London, sort of a world's fair. There were six people, and Agatha got to go with her husband, because they could book a double room (I guess?). They were gone almost a year, and went right around the world to many of the countries that were then part of the British Empire (curiously bypassing India). As they said in those days, the sun never sets on the British Empire. Who could think of doing something like that today?? And being entertained, feted, toured and given teas everywhere you went? They even got to take a month long vacation in the middle of it, in Hawaii of all places (Agatha and her husband were avid surfers). Pretty fine planning.

You get the pure joy of seeing beautiful places like New Zealand, and the frustration of traveling with someone who was less than agreeable, and then towards the end, the letters home become more and more plaintive, as she is really missing her mother and daughter. We have all been happy to get home after a long trip - imagine it taking 10 days from your last stop!

Towards the end, one thing puzzled me. In her introduction to the last section on Canada (which you recall was from her autobiography), she tells about how broke she was. If she wasn't invited to one of the official functions, she had to figure out how to eat that day (never mind that somehow Archie couldn't sneak her a box of leftovers or something??). And yet, at that same time, and all through the trip, she is writing to her mother that if she needs money, Agatha is happy to send it. So what was up with that? I mean, of course she didn't want her mother to know she was broke and hungry, but what money would she send if her mom said yes?

Who also could think that this life would ever end? That within 20 years, Britain would be at war - again - and that the empire would be in tatters. That air travel would overtake the ships, where if you were only on board for a week, you never really got to know the fellow passengers. (ha!) As Agatha says herself, airplanes changed travel. And where a woman would not be left alone, but must have sort of companions or minders, which often consisted of groups of local women giving her a tea, or some tour or some other local amusement, while the men toured whatever was on the docket that day. Agatha did do a lot of tours herself, but was often not included in official business. And where servants were not dropping in to pick up your laundry, or to bring you hot water for tea, or whatever. And where they got up to all kinds of activities to keep themselves entertained - cards, contests, costume parties, sports, and so on. Imagine having no TV! ;)

It is a very personal window into a bygone era - between the wars, after the Titanic, but before it had all really sunk in. A little Jazz Age, a lot Edwardian. I also think about all those people who meet her in 1922, when she was only just releasing her third book, and if they realized later who they had met! Some of them knew it at the time, but I bet a lot didn't.

I just have one comment about this edition - it is extremely HEAVY. The paper must weigh a ton. The binding is also a little less than stellar, especially for such heavy paper. I had to be careful with it because the corner of the book got downright sharp where it rested. I also anticipate that at some point in the not too distant future, the signatures are going to lose their hold on the spine. It is also too bad that in many cases, where large pictures run across the gutter, you can't see half of it because the book doesn't lay nearly flat. However, the layout of the book is very nice, with all the scans of the ephemera and photos, and lots of white space.

Highly recommend for anyone interested in Agatha!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book more than I did. It's a collection of letters and photographs from the tour Agatha Christie took with her husband as part of a group to promote the British Empire Exhibition that opened in 1924. Reading the book was like watching someone's slideshow of their vacation. Parts of it were not at all interesting, especially when Agatha simply reported the events of their days. I liked the section on Australia best as Mrs. Christie included more of her opinions on what she saw. I'm also reading Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage and it's been fun to read the same voice in the letters and in the novel.

[Beth Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Grand Tour is interesting, not simply because it's insightful regarding the life of Agatha Christie, but how it depicts a large swath of the world in 1922. Agatha's husband Archie was offered a job as part of the British Empire Exhibition to travel the world, visiting diverse places of the commonwealth, in order to gain support and interest in the forthcoming event in London. Agatha was able to travel along at reduced expense. The almost year-long adventure is told through some excerpts from Agatha's autobiography, most mostly through letters that she sent home to her mother and her toddler daughter. They are supplemented by many of the Christies' own photographs and memorabilia. They traveled by boat to South Africa, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Hawaii (where their entire focus was on surfing most every day they could), across Canada by rail, then by boat back to England. A forward by Agatha's grandson, who also has editing credit, adds to the context of the work.

The fascinating work demonstrates Agatha's great writing talent, too, in how she describes places (such as the vivid colors of New Zealand, or Lake Louise in Canada which she considered the most beautiful of places for many years) and the people she meets along the way. The most colorful character is the head of their exhibition group, Major Belcher, an absolute terror who could shift from jovial to having days-long temper tantrums over perceived slights. The book is, of course, largely a work of the 1920s, so expect a very elite perspective and some racist terms.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Grand Tour" - written and photographed by Agatha Christie, compiled by Mathew Prichard and published in 2012 by HarperCollins. Come along on a tour of South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Honolulu and Canada via the letters and photographs of Agatha Christie who accompanied her husband Archie as a member of the British Empire Expedition delegation. Their goal was "to arouse interest and support" for the upcoming British Empire Exhibition being held in London in 1924. Although sometimes repetitive, Christie's impressions of her travels were very interesting to read, with their flavor of colonial Britain and of a time gone by. She wrote, "This is no travel book - only a dwelling back on those memories that stand out in my mind; times that have mattered to me, places and incidents that have enchanted me." How fortunate her grandson Prichard was to have custody of these memories and fortunate for us that he chose to share them.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of Agatha Christie's participation in a 1922 round-the-world mission to engender enthusiasm for the British Empire Exhibition, a sort of World's Fair of the Empire intended to exploit the raw material wealth of the Colonies, foster trade and open new markets. A not-entirely-seamless mash-up of Christie's original letters and postcards home, photos and newspaper clippings, and diary entries, with each leg of the journey introduced by an excerpt from her autobiography, and the whole bookended by a heart-felt Introduction and Epilogue by Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard. This has its faults, but it's still a fascinating look at the attitudes and reactions of a remarkable woman "before she was famous," as as well as a glimpse of a world that is now gone forever. (And, based on what we see here, demonstrates that might not be a bad thing ...).

The faults -- just to get them out of the way: the format is repetitive. Reproducing both the letters and diary entries, and the excerpts from her Autobiography, is interesting, because the autobiography provides additional context and some hindsight. But, of necessity, it means much repetition -- many times, I'd find myself thinking, Didn't I just read that? The photos are interesting, but pretty poor quality and, as holiday snapshots, don't show us what we really want to see: Christie wanted to capture the scenery, with a tiny figure in the foreground. I wanted better looks at the individuals involved. Lots of photos of people standing in brilliant sunshine, wearing big hats that completely throw their faces into deep shade ... And the newspaper clipping are blurry, and hard to read.

But it's a wonderful historical document: it captures attitudes to the Empire, at a point just before things would change forever -- the slightly patronising attitude of some of the Mission participants from the Mother Country. The desperate yearning of some of the Colonials to be seen as equals, and truly worthy of their place in the Empire. The beginning of some inkling that, hey, maybe we're being exploited here, aren't we just as good as you, really ...? (Christie was a Woman of Her Time, and her reaction to some of the more Bolshie Colonials is hilarious ... Oh, and the indigenous populations. Always kindly, and even reasonably respectful, but let's face it, borderline-racist ... Might as well get that out of the way. Don't read if you are easily offended ...) As an account of the attitude of the British Empire to its Dominions, as resources to be exploited and markets to be monopolised, and Little People to be pushed around, it's a fascinating grace-note to Imperial history.

Taken as a whole package, this would be mildly interesting even if the letter-writer and diary-keeper did not happen to be one Mrs. (one day Dame) Agatha Christie. As an account of international travel, it captures the challenges that have long-since disappeared -- the long weeks on the ocean, the days in hot, uncomfortable railway carriages, the hours crammed into open-top automobiles where the only repairs available where the ones you could do yourself. The excitement of it, too, and the sheer "once in a lifetime" of it, that is hard to comprehend. (Except now, as we're wondering if we're ever going to feel brave enough to travel overseas again ...)

I decided to get my hands on this, after reading The Man in the Brown Suit, the stand alone-murder mystery that Christie wrote, which is a thinly fictionalized roman a clef based on the participants and itinerary of the first leg of the Tour. I was curious about how fiction and reality would meet. What came as a big surprise was that I assumed that Christie had been invited as a minor B-list celebrity, based on her dawning notoriety as author of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, to add a bit of glamour, a bit of "culture" -- but no. She was there solely as the wife of Major Archibald Christie, who had been drafted in as accountant for the tour. (Her mother told her "A wife's duty is to go with her husband ... A husband must come first, even before your children." The Christies left their 2-year-old daughter with relatives for the 10 months of the Mission, and although Christie missed her terribly, she told herself, "...she's got Nurse." ... As I say, some things have definitely changed for the better ... )

But if you would like to understand why Mrs. Archibald Christie became Dame Agatha, Queen of Crime, this is a good place to start. Christie's observational skills are amazing, her choice of words, her sense of characters, and her insights into the subtleties and absurdities of her circumstances are witty and clear-sighted ... She has a novelist's eye, and the instincts of a social historian. At times, her diaries and letters read like one of her mysteries -- without the murder ... (Although, we learn, that was a very close run thing for Major E.A Belcher, the leader of the Mission and a world-class pain in the neck and toxic boss. Her initial idea for "Brown Suit" was that he was the victim, and I'm sure the whole party would have liked that ... )

What I especially enjoyed was that sense that we were seeing Christie at a crucial moment in her life: before she was famous, yes, but also before she was betrayed by her husband, and her life took a different, less conventional course. Pritchard, in his Introduction, reveals the heart-breaking observation that the Agatha he sees in the diary and letters isn't the Grandmother he knew: Agatha of 1922 is funny, very sociable and fearless, gently bucking norms and expressing her opinion. In his opinion, her betrayal by Archie Christie, which closely followed the death of her beloved Mother, changed her -- made her more shy and less willing to push herself to the front of the crowd. (An interesting, and perhaps painful irony for the lady who would have to live for many years with the title Queen of Crime, and a world-wide fan base who always wanted a piece of her ...)

It's fascinating to see glimpses of Christie-before-she's-Christie: it's enraging, for example, to see the reproduction of an interview that appeared in an Australian newspaper, which is so patronising and belittling: oh, a little lady who thinks she can write murder mysteries, isn't that sweet ...? I like to think that, years later, the journalist who wrote that article realized who he/she had been speaking to, and blushed.

But there are lovely moments, too, reflecting where she is on her professional arc: mentioning that she's working on a new Tommy and Tuppence novel, for which she has high hopes. (With the benefit of hindsight, we know that the Tommy and Tuppence stories are the very least of her oeuvre, and are almost unreadable today ...). Her pride that the publication of a collection of her short stories means that she is now the author of FIVE BOOKS. Think of it!! Just makes me want to hug her, and say oh, Agatha, sweetie, you ain't seen nutthin' yet ..

Two quotes, displaying some interesting attitudes to those above and below her on the social scale ...

"Today was the Opening of Parliament [in South Africa] ... Prince Arthur [of Connaught, grandson of Queen Victoria] read the speech very well, and the princess looked almost nice for a Royal ..."

"On Monday I went to the Races with Mrs. Theodore, the Premier's wife [Ted Theodore, Labour Premier of Queensland, Australia]. She is quite nice -- very worn out with children and no servants, and the duties of a Premier's wife on top of it all."

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Harder - a travel memoir.

I've had this book for years, sitting on the coffee table ... unread (and often forgotten). When I read Magpie Murders with all its Agatha Christie references, I remembered this book. and got excited when I realized it would count for one of the Read Harder challenges.

And now, I'm glad I finally read the book. What a trip! and what a delight to spend eleven months with one of my favorite authors! The book is beautiful - a collection of Agatha Christie’s letters, photographs, memorabilia, and excerpts from her autobiography. The focus is an almost year-long trip in 1922. Christie accompanied her husband Archie who was a member of the British Empire Exhibition Mission party. This trade commission visited South Africa, Rhodesia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Agatha and Archie also had a mid-trip vacation in Hawaii.

The glimpses into early 1920's life and travel (yikes!) were fascinating. I especially enjoyed the photographs and her letters home to her mother and sister.

It was sometimes hard to keep up with all the people, but the book includes a nice timeline and summary of all the key players at the back.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is edited by Christie's grandson, and is a collection of Christie's letters, postcards, photos, and diary entries of her travels with her husband. They journey around the world in 1922 by serving in the trade mission to promote the British Empire Exhibition. It is painfully aware that Christie lived in an aristocratic bubble, isolated from the cares of most people as she objectifies the cultures she encounters.

[Andrea Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is like reading through a scrapbook and travel diary of a trip around the world that Agatha Christie took in 1922. Pictures and memorabilia included. Just fun.

[Maryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Я не люблю детективы. Я прочитала несколько романов Агаты Кристи и они оставили меня практически равнодушными. Я в восторге от "Автобиографии" и уверена, что это одна из самый вдохновляющих книг, которые я когда-либо читала. И, в принципе, я ожидала чего-то сходного от "Большого путешествия". Но тут, как оказалось, совсем не то, и поэтому мне очень хочется сказать всем тем, кто ожидает здесь найти еще одну "Автобиографию" - нет, это соврешенно другой формат, стиль и жанр! Это действительно просто письма Агаты Кристи, которые она писала своей матери из кругосветного путешествия. И, как водится, за такими письмами, они довольно просто и рассказывают о тех событиях, которые человек в добром здравии и не подумает подавать публике в формате книги. (Пусть это остается на совести внука Агаты, который решил это сделать). Здесь просто дочка пишет матери о том, что они делали на этой неделе, и говорит о людях, про которых мы с вами ничего не знаем, а для Агаты и ее матери это были хорошие знакомые. Здесь нет абсолютно никакого сюжета - "сегодня мы пили чай со Смитами, а потом ездили кататься на машине с Блэками, а потом вечером были на приеме посла и видели там Браунов". Но! Это мило. Вот именно так, "мило". Эти письма позволяют увидеть то, что по-другому просто не рассмотреть. Они дают нам представление о нравах, характерах, о том, как видела мир Агата Кристи, и как этот мир видел ее. Таким образом, эта книга скорее довольно хорошее дополнение к "Автобиографии" и должно быть прочитано только после нее, но никак не ранее.

7 / 10

[Birgitte Bach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emnet er sådan set spændende nok og giver et interessant indblik i en svunden tid og en forældet måde, at anskue verden og andre landes befolkning på.

Men det er tydeligt, at brevene ikke er skrevet med henblik på at blive offentliggjort. Det er private breve, beregnet på at oplyse dem der hjemme om, at "her går det godt". Agatha skriver meget kort om det de oplever, de ture de tager på, de middage de er inviteret til og de mennesker de møder. Hun er god til at iagttage mennesker og morer sig over de forskellige typer hun støder på undervejs. Men det er lidt som at bladre i andre folks feriealbum, det er okay et kort stykke tid, men ved foto nummer 10, har jeg fuldstændig mistet interessen.

De bedste dele var de få uddrag om rejsen, der var taget fra An Autobiography, som blev udgivet posthumt og som Agatha Christie angiveligt skulle have skrevet på i 15 år. Det var tydeligt at de uddrag, modsat brevene, er skrevet for at underholde et publikum.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. Never realized Agatha was a surfer girl in her youth! If you are a fan of her books, you will like this book, if not, probably would lower the rating to a 3. It is also fascinating to see how a tour of this was done in the days before air travel, when travel was done with a combination of ship, train, and car. I enjoyed the photos as well. She was quite an accomplished woman in many ways, even when she was young! (trip done just after her first book published, and as her second book was about to be published)

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Discounted | fairly dull | It's not actually very interesting to read someone's old letters home from vacation. There's no context, it's all very truncated, and the focus tends to be on the things I don't care about. I skimmed through descriptions of outfits, where people sat at dinners, anecdotes about someone not telling a joke because it was inappropriate, etc. I got a much better sense of this journey in its fictionalized form in The Man in the Brown Suit.

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely epistolary book. I picked this up while desperately missing (after having it on my shelves for years!) and enjoyed the combination of letters and photographs. Agatha Christie (and Matthew Pritchard) make you feel like you are traveling right there beside them. Now I have even added some new locations to my travel list!

[Jenny Sparrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Книги Агаты Кристи и ее героев я полюбила в отрочестве, ее как личность — в молодости, когда прочитала великолепнейшую "Автобиографию". Поэтому, когда увидела это издание, сразу его купила.

Еще из "Автобиографии" мы знаем, что Агата в молодости совершила кругосветное путешествие. Эта книга как раз о нем. Тут собраны заметки из дневника и письма, которые Кристи посылала своим родным из путешествия. Она пишет о том, куда ездили, что видели, и много о том, кого встречали и с кем проводили время. Порой, конечно, было скучновато, да и что интересного можно почерпнуть из описания очередного званого ужина или поездки на автомобиле?

Однако есть здесь и интересные моменты. Больше всего бросилось в глаза, какой Агата была любознательной и увлеченной. Ей было интересно все, что им показывали: от лесопилок до консервирования фруктов, от стрижки овец до опытов селекции. А еще она была ярой серфингисткой, вот не подумала бы :)

Также она очень любила пообщаться и поболтать, и везде заводила новых знакомых. Мне кажется, немало персонажей для своих книг она почерпнула из этой поездки. Многие люди, встреченные в поездке, описываются всего двумя-тремя штрихами, но в то же время очень живо и ярко — чувствуется рука мастера даже через письма.

В общем и целом, приятная, живая, немного легкомысленная молодая леди с острым язычком — такой Королева детектива была в юности. Книга в целом только для фанатов Леди Агаты и ее творчества, но почитать и посмотреть на многочисленные фото из 1920-х было занятно.

Про писательство в этой книге почти ничего, кроме тех моментов, когда Кристи пишет матери об удачных продажах и надеждах издать сборник рассказов в Америке. Вот, кстати, именно его и собираюсь сейчас почитать :)

[Leonor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña

En este libro encontraremos fotografías, cartas y recuerdos de Agatha Christie sobre el viaje que realizó alrededor del mundo con su primer marido, Archie Christie, y del cual tomó su apellido para escritora.

Este viaje tenía por objetivo promover la exposición del Imperio Británico en varios países en 1922, por lo que viajaron por Sudáfrica, Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Hawaii (de vacaciones), y Canadá, en una pequeña delegación en la cual ella era la única esposa acompañante.

Podremos ver las costumbres de la época, conocer en más detalle la personalidad y forma de expresarse de la reina del misterio cuando era joven (alrededor de 30 años), antes de que se hiciera famosa.

Crítica

Disfruté mucho leyendo este libro, no sólo porque Agatha Christie es mi autora preferida, sino porque me gusta conocer costumbres de otras épocas, y con el añadido de las fotografías que trae el libro, lo hacen aún más interesante, ya que se puede apreciar la forma de vestir de esa época, los adelantos en movilización, entre muchas otras cosas cautivantes.

Recordé mucho de cuando leí su autobiografía, y pude apreciar mediante las fotografías lo que ella narraba con sus palabras.

El libro está dividido en los países a los que visitaron, siendo cada uno un “capítulo”. La edición está muy bien cuidada, siendo de gran calidad.

Me entretuvo mucho, lo recomendaría a fans de Agatha que quieran conocerla más profundamente y a personas que disfrutan conociendo costumbres de otras épocas.

4 / 5 estrellas

[Susan Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enjoyable read and a slice of life, experienced by Agatha Christie in the 1920s.

Some other reviewers of this book comment that "it's boring because it's just letters that Christie wrote, mainly to her mother". Yup that's kind of what the title says it is, so expecting more than that would be unrealistic. I know I didn't get into deep philosophical discussions in letters to my mother.

And "Christie doesn't talk about the common people". Well, no. She is on an expenses paid trip - expenses paid by the British Government as part of a trade mission. This wasn't a trip organized by some not-for-profit group to install water systems in undeveloped areas. Of course she is meeting with and being entertained by semi-big-wigs in the places they visited.

And this is the 1920s. In her circle, there wasn't much awareness of a lot of things going on in the world - and the absence of discussion of those issues is interesting in itself.

Christie is writing letters and writes in her diary. So she describes daily life, mundane as that might be. And in doing so, we can share some of her experiences. Perhaps this book is more appealing to history buffs, like me.

I read the Kobo edition which is unfortunate because the pictures and copies of some pamphlet/printed material do not show up well. If you do choose to read the book, I would strongly suggest reading the hard copy of it.

[Jan Polep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of 1922 World Tour of Agatha Christie, her first husband, Archie and members of a committee to promote participation in the upcoming British Empire Exhibition. Told in letters home, snippets from her biography, photos, postcards and more...it's an easy read but works best with 1922 maps at hand. What a gal! She was game for all manner of swimming/surfing and has put a bee in my bonnet to go try the South African and New Zealand beaches. She was right on target about the beauty of Banff, Victoria Island, Lake Louise and Hawaii...although you won't believe the ramshackle hotels on Waikiki beach in 1922!

[Nadya De Angelis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is hard to believe that Agatha Christie's name is on this book, because it's so utterly boring. The book consists of letters she wrote to her mother and sister when she and her husband participated in British trade mission in 1922. The described activities include eating, shopping, playing bridge, surfing, and being sea sick. That's pretty much it. I understand why her relatives were keen to know about these mundane tidbits, but for the rest of us it's a dull, poorly edited (by her grandson) reading.

[Jivita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a beautiful travel log. It turned out to be mostly mundane travel tidbits of a avictorian woman traveling the world. While there were definately some interesting insights into the personality of Agatha Christie. I felt this is a very niche book, it seemed that you had to already know some of the british customs from that time to get the subtle engagements that she talks so much about.

[Martina Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro prezioso per le molte foto inedite della Agatha degli anni '20 e per le lettere che raccontano il suo giro del mondo.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a treat this book was to me! Getting hooked on one of the televised Poirot series, I was stirred to find background info on Christie. Luckily my local library had this title.

Christie suggested this trip, the British Empire Exhibition Mission, known as the Grand Tour, to her husband, Archie. Eager to travel the world, she realized Archie would get 2 weeks vacation leave for the rest of his working life! She spoke up and readily batted down his objections. His first was "Why don't you go and I'll stay home for work and the children?". She replied that her mother, child care workers and servants could take great care of the children. Off they went!

Beginning on January 20, 1922, they returned to England December 1, 1922. Oceanliners covered the extensive sea travel and land travel was not infrequent.

She wrote home to her mother, relatives and some friends and those letters are the contents of this book which was organized by their grandson.
B&W photos taken during the Grand Tour are throughout the book and most photos are large on the page., helping the reader get a better sense of their experiences.

Why didn't I give this book 4 stars? Because there is no index! If any non-fiction book needed an index, it's this one - filled with names of people and places all around the world and no way to tie them together.
BTW, she surfed and managed to stand up on the board! She certainly enjoyed countless new experiences, along with all the sights.
NOTE: I did not read this book two times and don't plan to fiddle around to change it. Time for more Poirot now.

[Acantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating look into a privileged, long lost age.

I'd never heard of this expedition before - Wembley stadium was built for it, I discovered after reading up on the event itself - and was curious to learn more.

One of the things that always surprised me about her books was the way in which everyone seemed to know each other - after listening to her letters, I now know that the world in which they lived in was much smaller. Every time they reached a new location and met new people, it turned out there was some connection, they knew someone who knew someone. It really was a very interconnected world for the rich and powerful. Even for someone like the Christies, we were really only there on the coattails of others.

They even meet royalty, and yet it is almost dismissed. Its exciting yes, but not lifechanging. More time is spent sharing her experiences of surfing or the various fruits on offer, showing a wide eyed, almost naïve excitement about things that we, in the modern age, take for granted.

The little hints about her books were fascinating. This isn't the Queen of Crime that we know, this Agatha is at the very start of her career

It is of course, very much of its time. There are comments that show the white colony mindset, lines that make you cringe now. It's important that they be retained, that we don't ignore our past, but at the same time, they shouldn't be glorified.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming but surface-level letters from Agatha Christie to her mother recounting her round-the-world journey with her first husband Archie promoting the British Empire Exhibition to the colonies.

Somewhat shockingly for our modern sensibilities, she is parted from her two-year-old for over a year, and while her letters do make frequent reference to her missing the child, there's not much detail on that front.

Providing the most amusement is the irascible Belcher, the head of the mission and inspiration for Sir Eustace Pedler in The Man in the Brown Suit. We get to see her intellectual excitement over the anthropology of early humans, her love for surfing and her sea-sickness (which she inflicted on Poirot). There's not much evidence of her shyness and I wonder how much the experience shaped her later books besides the Belcher character mentioned. She doesn't appear to have incorporated Australia, Hawaii, or Canada into her stories as far as I recall.

Interspersed are extracts from her autobiography remembering the trip. Going to tackle that soon but it's a hefty tome. I hope but doubt that I will finish it before the new year.

[Cristina Urdiales · Rating 1 out of 5]

Parece mentira que esto esté escrito por nada más y nada menos que Agatha Christie. En su descarga hay que decir que la pobre seguramente jamás tuvo intención alguna de publicarlo y, de saber que algún descendiente con más interés por la pasta que sentido común lo acabaría sacando, igual hasta hubiera tirado el material a la chimenea. Si cuando uno empieza a leer le parece que son las cartas de chismorreos a casa de una señorita de familia bien en viaje de gorra es porque, efectivamente, se trata de eso. Podría haberse aprovechado para hacer un recorrido por el mundo en 1922, contando las peculiaridades de cada sitio, pero, que va, lo que se cuenta es cuantas hijas casaderas tiene Lord no se cuanto y cómo de desesperada está por figurar lady no-se-quién, y que chungo es el jefe del marido que quiere que se trabaje en el viaje de trabajo. Vamos, que podrían ser las fotos del viaje de novios de tu cuñada y te aburrirías igual. Creo que en mi vida he dejado sin terminar 4 o 5 libros tope. Pues bien, este es uno de ellos.