From Slurs to Soldiers: The Global Rebranding of And Then There Were None
"But no artist, I now realize, can be satisfied with art alone. There is a natural craving to have it recognized." The best-selling mystery, and the seventh best-selling title of all time, And Then There Were None , written by Agatha Christie, remains one of the world's most-read books, with millions of copies sold every year. This novel, which Christie herself described as her most difficult to write, followed a tumultuous publication history surrounding its title. Today’s title, And Then There Were None , has undergone quite a lot of changes since its initial publication in the United Kingdom in 1939. The first title of the book, published by the Collins Crime Club imprint , was inspired by a 19th-century nursery rhyme and minstrel song. Though the title was scandalous and insulting, it remained the same in UK versions until 1985. UK edition In contrast, when the book was published in the United States in January 1940 by Dodd, Mead and Company , the title was immedi...