The Longest NOVEL in the WORLD

Thickest Book
On Wednesday, 20 May 2009, Agatha Christie, the “Queen of Crime”, breaks a new world record for the thickest book. For the first time, all the Miss Marple stories – 12 novels and 20 short stories – are collected and published in one volume, for fans and collectors alike.

The Complete Miss Marple runs to a staggering 4,032 pages. Its spine, a work of inspired engineering by master craftsmen, is 322 mm (12.6 in) thick. Agatha Christie already holds two other world records – for the longest running play, The Mousetrap – and as the best-selling fiction author of all time.

In all, 43 murders are solved: 12 poisonings; six strangulations; two drownings; two stabbings; a burning; one blow to the head; one death by an arrow and two people pushed.

There are 68 crimes committed; 11 philandering lovers; 68 secrets and lies; 22 false accusations; 59 red-herrings and 21 romances. A total of 143 cups of tea are drunk in the massive volume, there are 66 maids and 47 garments are knitted.



It is a visually stunning book bound in dark-red leather with gold lettering and red-edged pages. Weighing 8.02 kg (17 lb 10 oz), it is presented in a suede-lined wooden box with brass fittings and a leather handle.



In his preface, Agatha Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, writes: “The character continues to speak to readers some eighty years and more after her debut precisely because, in those quiet moments at the end of the day or when a difficult decision needs to be made, each of us wishes for our own Miss Marple to give clear and unequivocal advice.”




The book was unveiled at Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London, UK, on 20 May 2009, where Guinness World Records™ Adjudicator John Pilley measured the book and officially announced the record. Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard was also present at the unveiling of the record-breaking book.