"Murder on the Orient Express"

Murder on the Orient Express is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

It was first published in the United Kingdom on January 1, 1934 and in the US later in the same year under the title of Murder in the Calais Coach. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence and the US edition at $2.00.

A little background on Agatha Christie...

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller Christie Mallowan was born on September 15 in 1890 at a house called Ashfield on the outskirts of Torquay, Devon. She was the youngest of three children. Her father Frederick Alvah Miller was an American and her mother Clara Boehmer was English.

Their income was said to be derived "from a business in New York." It was a business that seemed to flourish without any personal attention from Frederick. Her father was also a president of the Tourqay Cricket Club.

Agatha spent her childhood at Ashfield, a Victorian villa, which she adored and which had a very strong influence on her life. She didn't go to school but was educated at home. She was a bright child, who taught herself to read by the age of five. She liked reading and she also took piano, singing, dancing, and tennis lessons. Then, when she was only 11, her father died.

At the age of sixteen she was sent to Paris where she studied singing and piano. She considered becoming a professional opera singer but her voice was not strong enough. She also she considered becoming a concert pianist but her music master told her that she was too nervous to be able to play in public. Nevertheless she continued to play privately at Greenway House and elsewhere.

After finishing school, Agatha spent three months in Egypt with her mother. When she returned to England in 1912 she met Colonel Lieutenant Archibald Christie and they married on Christmas Eve in 1914, at the beginning of World War I. He went straight off to the war and Agatha worked in the dispensary of a Red Cross hospital in Torquay. There she learned about chemicals and poisons, which proved very useful to her in her later career.

After a long time Archibald returned home and on August 5 in 1919 their daughter Rosalind was born. But the marriage was unhappy. It didn't last because Archie had fallen in love with another woman and so he asked for a divorce in 1926. The same year her mother died.

Soonafter, Agatha went missing for 11 days and was eventually found in a hotel in Harrogate, in the North of England under an alias. Her disappearance is still a mystery.

Agatha later found happiness with her marriage to Max Mallowan on September 11th in 1930. He was an archaeologist who she met on her travels. She later often assisted her husband on excavations in Syria and Iraq. She later often told: "An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her."

Agatha Christie became president of the British Detection Club and in 1971 she was made a Dame of the British Empire. Max also received a knighthood in 1968 which gave them the titles of Sir Max and Lady Mallowan - also Dame Agatha Christie. She died on January 12th in 1976 and two years later her second husband Max Mallowan died.

A little background on the Orient Express...

THE ROUTE: The Orient Express route has changed numerous times, but it is best known for its run between Istanbul and Paris. Throughout the years, this luxurious railroad route has served as an important connector between Europe's major cities. It has also served as the backdrop for many films and novels, most notably Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

The original Orient Express route, which first ran on October 4, 1883, was from Gare de l'Est, Paris, to Giurgiu in Romania, via Munich and Vienna.

In its 1930s heyday the train company ran three parallel services: the Orient Express, the Simplon Orient Express, and the Arlberg Orient Express. The services were all variations of the same route, with the differences being stops along the way and final destinations. In June 2007, the 5:17 pm Orient Express route from Paris to Vienna ceased operation and was consigned to railway history. Nick Pigott, editor of Railway Magazine remarked, "The Orient Express name has become a byword for luxury and intrigue and adventure."

PHOTOS OF THE ORIENT EXPRESS