The Grand Tour

Agatha Christie

In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10 month voyage around the world. Her husband, Archibald Christie, had been invited to join a trade mission to promote the British Empire exhibition, and Kristi 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, Kristi 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 surf boarding, glamour and...