Well, it only took me 30 years and we won't mention how many dollars, but I've done it. As of today, I'm the proud owner of an American 1st edition of every Agatha Christie published. What started out as a nice way to read books, back in the 70s when hardcovers were only a few bucks, grew into a collection. I was probably 5 years and 25 books into the project before I even thought of it as one.

Many of my collections got my start back then. Craig Rice, Ellery Queen, my Van Dines, and…