Kate's Blog

Latest Thoughts on all things Agatha

04 August 2023 👁 26
Author Fair at Elmhurst Library

Author Fair at Elmhurst Library

Agatha Annotated's first outing at an author fair will be Saturday, August 19, at the Elmhurst Library. If you're in the area, stop by to say hello and meet almost 60 other area authors!

Export event8/19/2023 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM  
01 August 2023 👁 87
Looking Back at How a Nice Cuppa Figures in Agatha Christie's Novels

Looking Back at How a Nice Cuppa Figures in Agatha Christie's Novels

Already by page four of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie has her characters sitting down to afternoon tea. It’s certainly not an unusual event since the entire world is familiar with this cherished English stereotype, but it is amusing to count how many times Christie’s characters meet for tea.

18 July 2023 👁 78
How to Face the News Release: What's News and Where to Release It

How to Face the News Release: What's News and Where to Release It

I have always preferred “news release” to “press release” because that helps me keep the purpose of the release top-of-mind and gives my release a better shot at being picked up.

04 July 2023 👁 120
In "The Secret Adversary," Bobbed Hair Was Simply the Cat's Pyjamas

In "The Secret Adversary," Bobbed Hair Was Simply the Cat's Pyjamas

We first see Tommy and Tuppence when they bump into each other at the entrance to the Dover Street Tube. Agatha Christie describes Tuppence as “elfin” with “black bobbed hair,” a look that was extremely popular in 1922 when the book was published.

21 June 2023 👁 122
Checking off the Tasks to Launch this New Agatha Christie Book

Checking off the Tasks to Launch this New Agatha Christie Book

You may have had the same author daydream I have had. When your book is about to be published, your agent will have set up a grand launch event with crowds, a brief book-reading, and maybe finger sandwiches.

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What is Agatha Annotated?

This website is the home of the Agatha Christie database as annotated by Kate Gingold, hence the name Agatha Annotated.

It's a rich glossary of

  • nearly 1900 terms
  • over 200 illustrations
  • 347 French phrases

Kate found them while reading Agatha Christie novels, and wrote them, along with definitions curated from years of research, into this database.

Currently the first 11 Christie books, those she wrote in the 1920s, are annotated here. 

Anybody can be a member and gain access to this rich glossary. Visit the Community page to learn the details.

We took the 1920s terms and published a book, Agatha Annotated: Investigating the Books of the 1920s, now available on Amazon in Paperback or Kindle format.

Kate will be adding to the database and members get the new terms and definitions first before the second volume is printed, plus members can comment and ask questions about the terms and Kate and other members can reply.

We hope you enjoy. Click around the pages to learn more.

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