EXETER, England, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Thirty novels by British mystery writer Agatha Christie are being auctioned in Exeter, England, to maintain the late novelist's estate.
Many of the detective novels are first editions and personally inscribed -- one to her late daughter Rosalind, another to a nephew and a third to her brother-in-law James Watts, the Telegraph reported.
Bearne's of Exeter auctioneers said the books would be the "nucleus" of the more than 700 items auctioned Tuesday, which include antiques, artwork, jewelry and articles of clothing worn by the novelist.
Among the books is a 1936 second-edition copy of "Murder in Mesopotamia," which is expected to bring almost $1,500.
Christie bought the Greenway House at Churston Ferrers in 1938 and lived there until her death in 1976. The 278-acre property was given to the British National Trust six years ago.
The trust wants to have estate open to the public by 2008.
