The British Royal Mail is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Agatha Christie’s first book—The Mysterious Affair at Styles—with six special-edition stamps that honor the doyenne of mystery writing.
The stamps, designed by Jim Sutherland and illustrated by Neil Webb, offer clues to the observant letter-writer that can be sussed out by UV light, heat or a well-tuned magnifying glass.
Click through the gallery to see the stamps’ clever clues. You can purchase the stamps here.
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And Then There Were None
The moon's reflection is actually a poem from the novel that predicts the characters' deaths.
Royal Mail
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A Murder is Announced
Royal Mail
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Inset of the A Murder is Announced stamp, which shows the micro text announcing the killer's intentions.
Studio Sutherl&
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A UV light reveals the clock on the wall showing the time -- 6:30 PM -- the killer promised to make his appearance.
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Royal Mail
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An inset of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd stamp, which shows the lover's suicide note in micro text.
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The Mysterious Affair at Styles
"Poirot and Hastings investigate the crime scene," Sutherland told Slate, "forming the skull, as the murderer used poison. The whole stamp is then reproduced in miniature on the poison bottle."
Royal Mail
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The Body in the Library
Royal Mail
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An inset of The Body in the Library stamp, which reveals other Miss Marple series book titles.
Studio Sutherl&
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Murder on the Orient Express
Sutherland told Slate, "The red kimono character is a red herring, distracting the viewer from the killer hidden behind a heat sensitive ink curtain (you simply put your finger on [the stamp and the] curtain disappears). The suspects are all printed in micro text along the train rail. I loved the idea that you need magnifying glass to read some of the clues—as stamp collectors use them as well as sleuths."
Royal Mail