The creator of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot is also the bestselling author of all time, and the exhibition will take place 50 years on from her death.
Among the exhibits at the Euston Road library are her 1937 Remington typewriter, thought to have been used to write the thriller And Then There Were None.
Agatha Christie boarding a train in 1922.(Image: The Christie Archive Trust)
A typescript of her first short story written when she was a teenager, and her notes for the theatre adaptation of Witness for the Prosecution will also be on show.
Christie was born in Devon in 1890 and first found success in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair at Styles – a book which introduced the world to detective Hercule Poirot.
Before her death in 1976, she penned 66 detective novels and 16 short story collections, earning her the nickname “the Queen of Crime.”
In her lifetime she had homes in Oxfordshire, Devon and London including spending the Second World War at the Isokon building in Lawn Road Hampstead while working in the pharmacy at University College Hospital.
The British Library exhibition will trace the author’s wide-ranging interests including archaeology and pharmacology, as well as her extensive travels.
Family photographs of Christie include trips to Egypt, Hawaii and Southern Africa, while a letter to her second husband about her journey on the Orient Express is also included in the show.
Curators hope to offer visitors a deeper understanding of how Christie crafted her detective stories with displays of her notebooks, letters and early drafts – and even her own voice through her Dictaphone recordings.
They will reveal how personal belongings that have never been seen in public, directly inspired her stories.
Christie has also inspired other crime writers, and the exhibition explores how her stories continue to be adapted for today’s global audience.
Jamie Andrews from the British Library said: “Next year marks 50 years since the death of Agatha Christie, the most famous crime writer of all time and we’re honoured to be working with The Christie Archive Trust and Agatha Christie Limited on this very special exhibition to mark her legacy.
“This will be the biggest exhibition held in the UK in the last 20 years to celebrate Christie’s writing and will feature items from our own collection, lenders and the Trust, including material never displayed before.
“The exhibition will take visitors back to Christie’s childhood and explore her journey to becoming an iconic writer, while celebrating how adaptions of her novels for stage and screen continue to enthral audiences today.”
James Prichard, Chairman of Agatha Christie Limited and Agatha Christie’s great-grandson, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the British Library for this major exhibition dedicated to my great grandmother’s extraordinary life and works.
“My father, Mathew, has carefully selected items from the Christie Archive which offer remarkable insights into Agatha Christie from both a professional, and personal perspective, and that are sure to fascinate visitors. It feels fitting to do this to help mark the 50th anniversary of her death; this combines an opportunity for quiet reflection, but also an opportunity to celebrate the immense achievements of her life.
“Hers was truly one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th century.”
The exhibition will run from October 30, 2026 – June 20, 2027 at The British Library in Euston Road
