The Library of a Literary Legend

Catherine Aird was a titan of the ‘cosy crime’ genre, best known for her beloved Chronicles of Calleshire featuring the duo D.I. Sloan and D.C. Crosby. Her contribution to literature was formalised in 2015 when she received the Cartier Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in crime writing, joining the ranks of P.D. James and Ruth Rendell.

The curated selection from her library includes volumes from Aird’s personal shelves. These books served as both inspiration and reference material for her intricate plots and sharp-witted prose.

"There is something incredibly poignant about handling the books Catherine kept in her own home," says Auctioneum’s book specialist Scarlett Griffiths. "These are the volumes she reached for while dreaming up Inspector Sloan’s next case, and many of the books have pages marked where she used certain ideas, or those which gave her flashes of inspiration."

‘Catherine was not just a master of the crime genre, but a love of it too. Her library featured over 8,000 books, many of which were titles from Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. It was a library that was well read and well used, with each book having been perused, digested, and ultimately kept for reference. A remarkable collection.’

The collection spans a wide breadth of modern literature and research materials, including books on poisoning, famous murder cases, and court trials from the Victorian era.

Highlights include a set of ‘Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes’ from the early eighteen hundreds. ‘Most of the volumes have some pages marked by Aird, no doubt noting small nuggets of information she then went on to use in one of her own stories,’ adds Scarlett.

Elsewhere within the sale are several of Aird’s own titles, including her copy of her very first novel ‘The Religious Body,’ in which audiences were first introduced to Detective Sloan. Plus several signed books from playwright and actor Noel Coward.

The collection is expected to attract worldwide interest. The ‘Books & Works On Paper Inc. The Catherine Aird Library’ auction takes place on Monday March 9th. Click here to view the full catalogue.