The Mysterious Affair at Styles (斯泰尔斯庄园奇案）

The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Styles was Christie's first published novel and introduced Hercule Poirot. She once complained in her autobiography that if she could foresee her career as a writer would last for such a long time, she would not make Poirot an old man. Christie wrote the book in 1916, inspired by the days when she volunteered in a hospital during the First World War. She was turned down by 6 publishing house, and finally Bodley Head agreed to publish it but under harsh terms: the royalties were payed to her after 2000 copies were sold. Christie got only 25 pounds from her first novel. (斯泰尔斯庄园奇案：斯泰尔斯庄园奇案是阿加莎•克里斯蒂的处女作，也是大侦探赫尔克里•波洛 (Hercule Poirot) 第一次出场。后来阿加莎•克里斯蒂曾在自传里抱怨，如果她知道她的写作生涯会延续这么长，她就不会将波洛设计得如此老了。本书写作于1916年，灵感源自于阿加莎•克里斯蒂一战时在医院做志愿者时的经历。写成后曾辗转投给6家出版社，均被拒。最后终于由Bodley Head 出版社接下，但出版条件十分苛刻，需售出2000册后才可以得到版税分成，最后本书共售出2000册，于是阿加莎•克里斯蒂从自己的处女作里只拿到了25英镑的杂志连载权收入。)