This past June was the 100th publishing anniversary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of Agatha Christie’s most well-known novels. At the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, England, attendees are gathering for a group photo with their copies of the book. Alas, we are not in Torquay this year, but we – and you – can participate virtually!
When we suggested a virtual option to IACF, they were much too busy prepping for the Festival, but gave us the go-ahead to put an event together. So we did. A Facebook page and event were easy to create, and we are already active in various Agatha Christie online groups. How to collect people’s photos, display them, and manage other details was harder, but Don figured it out.
People started posting their photos, which was exciting, and it’s been absolutely fascinating to see all the different covers and languages. I have several versions on my bookshelf, but I’m not the only person who owns more than one! Unfortunately, mine aren’t particularly collectible, but the story inside is still great!
If you aren’t familiar, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a Poirot story, and starts off with the great detective growing vegetable marrows as a retirement hobby. Growing up in America, I had never heard of a “vegetable marrow,” which is one of the reasons why I put together the Agatha Annotated glossary. (A vegetable marrow is a zucchini squash, by the way!)
Ackroyd caused a sensation when it was first published. It’s considered one of her best, although some readers complain about the puzzle. For those who have not yet experienced it, I’m not going to reveal anything more, but if you’re wondering why September 17 is being celebrated as Roger Ackroyd Day at the Festival, it’s because that was day Roger was murdered.
To deal with time zones, we decided to collect photos until midnight, Pacific time, on September 17, but then that’s it. To be part of the online gallery, just post a photo of you with your copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on your own Facebook timeline or on your Instagram page. Tag it with @RogerAckroydDay and #RogerAckroydDay so our online aggregator will find it and add it to the gallery. Then check back on September 18 to see everybody’s photos.
Grab your phone before it’s too late and show us your Ackroyd!