User talk:Jtomlin1uk

Regarding your edits to The Labours of Hercules:
Your recent edit to The Labours of Hercules (diff) was reverted by an automated bot. The edit was identified as adding either test edits, vandalism, or link spam to the page or having an inappropriate edit summary. If you want to experiment, please use the preview button while editing or consider using the sandbox. If this revert was in error, please contact the bot operator. If you made an edit that removed a large amount of content, try doing smaller edits instead. Thanks! // VoABot II 21:53, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

And Then There Were None
You wrote: ''Added back first edtion price. Mr Palpatine, a price does not offend and is of historical interest. Leave it alone.''


 * I am not concerned with the orginal PRICE of the book when it was first published. The matter I am dealing with is the insistence by some others to use the original different titled first edition cover as to illustrate the book.  The title does not agree with the article and contains a word that is among the top 10 most offensive in the english language.  At first glance, readers would probable take this as an act of vandalism because of the title difference.  That is why I reverted the changes to display the cover with the matching title and put the first edition cover in the historical section of the article further on. -- Jason Palpatine 14:00, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Fine, we seem to be in 'some' agreement. The price details (which I have put on every Christie page) is a reference just to the first edition publication and is irrespective of what the book was actually called at the time. For the record, I do agree that the 1939 title is offensive but Wikipedia has a contect disclaimer policy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Content_disclaimer) which accepts that such things are sometimes the case and people just have to accept them. I can accept to a degree that some people would find an image with a different title to be confusing so I think having the image located to the section regarding first publication is a suitable compromise, (I suppose that putting price details there wouldn't hurt either), but I am firmly in the camp of those people who say that just because something done 68 years ago is unacceptable now doesn't mean that a historical record of an event should be changed to accomodate modern sensibilities. I note that you are a member of something called "Wikipedia against censorship" so I can only presume that you agree with me.


 * Agree 110%. -- Jason Palpatine 02:36, 13 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Moot point now. The cover image I had uploaded has now been deleted.  We went through all that effort for nothing it would seem.  --Jason Palpatine (talk) 16:58, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Credit where credit is due
Hi there: Just a note to point you to Template talk:Nero Wolfe because, frankly, you did get me thinking about these templates, I learned how to use them and I have to give you the credit for starting me down that path. Now it's made me anxious to get all the Ellery Queen pages done so I can make a navbox for THAT, and then Perry Mason ... you've created a monster! LOL And while I'm on the topic, thanks for sticking out the recent events with respect to the first edition covers, especially And Then There Were None. For obvious reasons, that particular book is always going to be a bone of contention for newbies and experienced editors alike, and I appreciate your willingness to work through the contention. Accounting4Taste 15:22, 20 September 2007 (UTC)
 * By the way, have you considered joining the Crime Task Force? You can find a box that takes you to the relevant page on my user page.  You're doing so much work on Christie, I think you are already an honorary member, but you might like to make it official. Accounting4Taste 15:29, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Many thanks for the comments. To join do I just put in the four tildes? I did that but the preview pane showed slightly different text to the other eight contributors - sorry for being a bit thick!--Jtomlin1uk 16:17, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Star over Bethlehem
Responded to your question here. :: Kevinalewis  : (Talk Page) /(Desk)  08:34, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Re: 172.202.149.190
I see that you have reverted several edits by this anonymous user. I want to bring to your attention the very real possibility that this is the same anonymous editor blocked yesterday for a very similar pattern of vandalism: 172.209.182.227. At any rate, if they are not one and the same person, they certainly have a very similar edit pattern, including Bertolt Brecht and Agatha Christie novels, and a similar MO (deleting cleanup templates and plot summaries). This anonymous editor needs to be watched closely. Cheers! --- RepublicanJacobite The'FortyFive'  16:22, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Welcome aboard
Welcome aboard the crime task force -- I'm happy to have pointed you in our direction some time ago, but in the meantime you've accomplished an awful lot, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Your work here so far has been a great contribution and, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. Accounting4Taste: talk 00:46, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
 * And you can swipe the appropriate box from my talk page, or I could add it for you myself with your permission. Cheers, Accounting4Taste: talk 16:48, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

I wasn't too sure what you meant but I think I've made the relevant changes to my user page. Tell me if I got it wrong!--Jtomlin1uk (talk) 18:19, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Welcome to Novels WikiProject
Hi, and welcome to the Novels WikiProject! As you may have guessed, we're a group of editors working to improve Wikipedia's coverage of topics related to fiction books often referred to as "Novels".

A few features that you might find helpful:


 * Our navigation box points to most of the useful pages within the project.
 * The announcement and open task box is updated quite regularly. You can watch it if you're interested; or, you can add it directly to your user page by including WikiProject_Novels_announcements there. While you are updating your userpage, don't forget our userbox   .
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 * Starting some new articles? Our article structure guidelines / template outlines some things to include.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask one of the members, and we'll be happy to help you. Again, welcome! We look forward to seeing you around! :: Kevinalewis  : (Talk Page) /(Desk)  08:42, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism
Everything you should need can be found aat or from WP:Vandlism. :: Kevinalewis  : (Talk Page) /(Desk)  14:55, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Dumb Witness
All I can say after reading your recent work on this article, you are clearly not the subject of the title. Keep up the good work with the articles on the works of Christie, you are doing sterling work! :: Kevinalewis  : (Talk Page) /(Desk)  16:42, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

The Novels WikiProject Newsletter - Issue XXIV - May 2008
The May 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you. SteveCrossinBot (talk) 08:04, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Christie
Hi John - I was just going thought he list of unassessed WikiProject Theatre articles, and I happened to land on a number of the Agatha Christie plays. Thanks in no small part to you, they're among the best Play-specific articles I've seen. In my comment regarding Alibi, I should emphasize the word "may" - I was working through the Unassessed list pretty quickly (there are many hundreds of articles that have yet to be reviewed), and I didn't give the synopsis a thorough reading. My basis for comparison is the small collection of "GA" and better articles on plays. I was in a community theater staging of The Hollow a few months ago, which gave me a solid enough understanding to take a stab at the synopsis - I doubt I'll do the same for anything I don't perform, but I'll try to stick around and help get that article and some others into GA-shape. See you on the change history pages--Dereksmootz (talk) 15:02, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Ah, you're right, my mistake. I completely agree with your logic that Alibi doesn't belong there, as it wasn't penned by her. I just had it in my head that it was "a Christie play", and was surprised that I couldn't navigate to it via the Christie template, so decided to remdedy the situation.--Dereksmootz (talk) 19:27, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Autoblock
Hello. You don't seem to be blocked as I think you've edited since you put this request up. Can it be marked as completed? Angus McLellan (Talk) 11:06, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I cleared the autoblock for you. SQL Query me!  11:42, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Thank you
Thank you for correcting my post regarding the Dr Who episode on the Death in the Clouds page. I am rather new to Wikipedia. Ian Pettifer92.232.173.44 (talk) 19:41, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

re: Thank you
You're welcome. As for the changes I made to the article, I had my reasons: the "Character" section heading does not need to state the title of the novel as it's redundant; obviously the characters are from the novel that the article is about. I take the Novels WikiProject template as a grain of salt since every novel (and therefore their article) is different from the next, but if you want true direction, I suggest you look at current Good and Featured Articles. I do not feel that the original price of the book is important enough to be listed in the lead, but you should know that WP:LEAD states that the lead section is meant to be a summary of the entire article, meaning that there should be no new information listed there The price is not listed anywhere else in the article, so if it's truly pertinent information, it needs to be written into the article somewhere. This article needs quite a bit of work (formatting issues, for example, remain despite my fixing them in the plot section; the  tag should not be used) but with dedication I'm sure it can improve. Good luck, María ( habla con migo ) 14:39, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
Hi, I removed the blurb again from the article. The blurb is copyrighted (unless proven different) so the hidden warning there is false. Since copyrighted the material has to pass all the Non-free content criteria before it can be added the the article. It fails criteria 1, probably criteria 5 and criteria 8. Garion96 (talk) 17:05, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The problem is that the author is not unknown. The author (actually the copyright holder) is Collins Crime Club. The person who wrote the blurb was, pretty likely, an employee of the company and all work written by him in the course of his employment is owned by Collins Crime Club, by now News Corporation. That's besides the fact that inclusion of the dust jacket blurb in the article is not that encyclopedic (IMO of course). Garion96 (talk) 19:14, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
 * As I said, the last part is "in my opinion". I really can't imagine why my opinion on that would make it hard for you not to be rude. Regarding the rest. You said a company can not be an author, but it can be a copyright holder/owner. See for instance here. However I just saw that in the UK the case is then 70 years after publication, see Work for hire, so it is indeed not copyrighted. For blurbs from books after 1938 they are still copyrighted however, and for the USA the duration is even longer. Just in case you added any blurbs from American books or books published after 1938. Garion96 (talk) 19:44, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Agatha Christie revisions and reversions
Hi. As you're doubtless aware, the Agatha Christie article gets lots of vandalism, so I'm probably quicker to revert than I ought to be, especially when it comes to unregistered editors who don't use the edit summary. (Why don't they?) Anyway, thanks for explaining why you reverted my reversion, and thanks for using your considerable knowledge of the subject to improve the article. Rivertorch (talk) 20:29, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

The Novels WikiProject Newsletter - Issue XXV - June 2008
The June 2008 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you. SteveBot (owner) 02:32, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Sven Hjerson
Hi there: I hit the above page by accident and thought of you... I wonder if you are aware of any imaginary titles of novels that this imaginary character appeared in? I'm sorry, that's not really as grammatically unambiguous as I usually like to be. What I mean is, are the names of any of Ariadne Oliver's "books" ever mentioned? I think it would be fun to have a "bibliography" for Sven Hjerson. Feel free to give this frivolous idea any or no attention as you wish, but I thought it might appeal to you and I KNOW you have copies of all the relevant novels. I see you've been keeping up a steady pace of great contributions, and I echo the barnstar above!! Accounting4Taste: talk 04:39, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I kind of figured this might strike your fancy . How it came about was a conversation with a friend about "Death 'Twixt Wind and Water," the title of a novel as by Harriet Vane in the Lord Peter Wimsey stories.  I just started to wonder if Christie had the same level of detail.  I'll look forward to seeing whatever you come up with! Accounting4Taste: talk 13:48, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

The chocolate Box
I undid, see also IMdB.Also the political issues I mentionned are 'ad rem'.Sorry, but for a Belgian, as for the great Hercule it is annoying to be taken for a Frenchman. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.164.251.157 (talk) 15:51, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

I read your argument in the discussion section of the lemma. I confess, I didnn't read the book, but I have the nearly complete edition on DVD. I guess dear Agatha made a mistake that would have infuriated her hero. The context of the Flemish question confirms the Belgian political debate that was totally strange to French political life.I respect your superior knowledge of the text and only make a small remark on the discussion section of the lemma. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.164.251.157 (talk) 15:20, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Partners in Crime
Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense at all. The Secret Adversary is part of the same series, made by the same production team, at the same time, with the same cast, and shown cosecutively with the other ten episodes. They are all the same series, and the situation is no different from the first episode of I, Claudius being a double-length introduction on its first transmission. That Haining separates them means nothing, since other sources treat them as the same series (e.g. The British Television Drama Research Guide 1950-1997, Down & Perry, 1997). It is certainly ludicrous to have no mention of 'The Secret Adversary on the Partners in Crime page at all. Nick Cooper (talk) 09:35, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

Calling all active WP:NOVELS members
 WikiProject Novels Roll Call WikiProject Novels is currently holding a roll call, which we hope to have annually. Your username is listed on the members list, but we are unsure as to which editors are still active within the project. If you still consider yourself an active WP:Novels editor, please add your name back to the Active Members list. Also feel free to join any of our task forces and take a look at the project's Job Centre to get involved!

Next month we will begin the coordinator election selection process. We hope to have more involvement and input this time around! More news will be forthcoming. Thanks, everyone! María ( habla con migo ) 16:29, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

WikiProject Novels Newsletter - September 2008
This newsletter was automatically delivered by TinucherianBot (talk) 14:57, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Reviews
Hello. I noticed you've added reviews from several old newspapers to various Agatha Christie novels. I was wondering if you found these newspaper issues anywhere online? The reason I'm asking is that I'm trying to write articles related to Doctor Who on the Norwegian Wikipedia (since that's my first language) and I'm having trouble finding contemporary reviews of the series from the 1960s and onwards to its cancellation in 1989. Davhorn (talk) 19:53, 17 September 2008 (UTC)

Agatha Christie
Sorry if I tampered with your work, but I thought that that paragraph might ruin the ending of those novels for any first time readers.

--6afraidof7 (talk) 17:35, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

The WikiProject Novels Newsletter - October 2008

 * Newsletter delivery by xenobot  13:14, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

The WikiProject Novels Newsletter - November 2008
This newsletter was automatically delivered by TinucherianBot (talk) 05:20, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism Revert
Hey, I was patrolling for vandalism and I saw a reversion you made here. I think you accidentally reverted to a bad version of the article. No worries, I fixed it for you.  ~Beano~  (talk) (contribs)  22:32, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Nevermind! Sorry. I took another look at the edit and yours was actually the good one. I saw that you already restored it. Thanks.  ~Beano~  (talk) (contribs)  22:35, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Anytime! Sorry again. I guess I should have looked at the big image with the book on it LOL.  ~Beano~  (talk) (contribs)  22:38, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

External links in Ten little n-bombs
Hiya,

I'm a lover of short EL sections and EL #3, so I'm curious about this revert. Primarily the IMDB restorals as they seem rather ambiguous. Wouldn't those be better placed in wikipedia pages for the various film adaptations of the books, which are (from what I could tell) already linked? They are about the book only in a second-hand fashion since they're the IMDB links for films. The link about the same I have basically the same comment. Is there extra guidelines in WP:NOVEL that state these links should be included here? The Burgh Island I consider more problematic, as it looks very much like blatant advertising (though a very nice picture), and could be replaced in the body text by this image. Not as pretty, but in keeping with WP:ELNO #4, 5 and 13 and more useful because it's displayed rather than linked. What are your thoughts? WLU (t) (c) (rules - simple rules) 18:28, 24 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Good points all 'round and I find little to disagree with. I'm still of the opinion that the Burgh Island isn't a good choice as an EL (and advertising is in my opinion independent of who adds the link, though conflict of interest is not) but it's certainly a gray area.  I would say the Burgh island link shouldn't be in the EL section (perhpaps I would include it in as a reference).  Since the Soldier Island Mansion is modeled on the Burgh Island Hotel, you could make the argument that the two are directly related.  My preference would be as a reference, but not enough to get a RFC or 3O on.
 * Incidentally, were you aware of the greatness of pubmed/isbn Diberry's template generator? It is incredibly useful, uses the pubmed number or isbn to automatically generate a citation template for you.  I notice the page doesn't use citation templates, this makes generating them really easy.  WLU (t) (c) (rules -  simple rules) 19:51, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I would think it very strange to not adapt the title to the section - only include the relevant title sections that covered the section content. Seems very common sense to me, but The Well of Loneliness disagrees with me, and it's a featured article.  Fair 'nuf, thanks.  WLU (t) (c) (rules -  simple rules) 12:31, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free media (File:Death on the Nile First Edition Cover 1937.jpg)
Thanks for uploading File:Death on the Nile First Edition Cover 1937.jpg. The media description page currently specifies that it is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, it is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the media was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that media for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

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Mapback cover art for The Secret of Chimneys
I don't know if you remember, but many months ago I suggested that I would try to upload the art from Dell Mapback #199, showing a map of "Chimneys"; I've just gotten around to it and thought you might be interested. As I am not experienced in adding scans, please let me know if there is something you think I should have done better or differently (or, of course, make any appropriate changes yourself). Accounting4Taste: talk 16:09, 7 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I do have quite a bunch more and will be uploading them in the near future, now that I've learned how to do it properly (I wanted to learn how to upload them with documentation properly done, so that they'd be "bulletproof".) Glad you liked Chimneys.  I also have some other US Christie paperbacks from the 40s from different publishers such as Avon which I think you'll also find quaint, and I'll do those too.  Accounting4Taste: talk 21:54, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

The WikiProject Novels Newsletter - March 2009
This has been an automated delivery by BrownBot (talk) 17:03, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

WikiProject Novels - Coordinator Election
Hello. To begin, every member of WikiProject Novels will be getting this message (the joy of macros) so if you wish to get in touch with me, please post a message on my talk page. I would encourage anyone who so wishes, to stand in the Coordinator Elections. If you wish to stand, please do so by 23:59pm, June 27. Voting will the continue to 23:59pm, July 21. Can everyone please check-out the Coordinator Elections page. Also, the collaboration of the month is The Tin Drum, so if you have any spare time, please check it out. And I apologise to the seven of you for whom this will be a repeat message. Regards, Alan16 (talk).

Coordinator Election
Hello. The Coordiantor Election has begun. All members are encouraged to vote by the deadline, July 28. To vote simply add support to the comments and questions for.. section of the member of your choice.

3 users are standing:

Regards, Alan16 (talk) 19:45, 29 June 2009 (UTC).

The WikiProject Novels Newsletter - July 2009
The July 2009 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you. Alan16(talk)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Would you mind taking a look at recent edits at Talk:Roger Ackroyd and tell me if perhaps I am way off. I mean, the other fellow is an Administrator, so maybe I’m wrong… Thanks! — SpikeToronto (talk) 04:52, 15 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for fixing this edit. To be honest, what made me think this was the way I read the Collins entry. I failed to see the word, including. Thanks — SpikeToronto (talk) 04:06, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

WikiProject Novels - Narnia Task Force
Hi! You would be glad to know that a new wikipedia ad has been created by Srinivas to encourage users to join Chronicles of Narnia Task Force. You can display that ad on your user/talk page too using the following code:

-- Alan16 (talk) 10:36, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

WikiProject Novels - August 2009 Newsletter
The August 2009 issue of the Novels WikiProject newsletter has been published. You may read the newsletter, change the format in which future issues will be delivered to you, or unsubscribe from this notification by following the link. Thank you. Alan16 (talk) 17:29, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

The Big Four
Hey Jtomlin1uk! I am reading Agatha Christie’s works in chronological order and am about to start The Big Four. However, I am concerned about one thing: my Berkley paperback (1984) has only 198 pages while the original has a hundred pages or so more! There are 18 chapters from “The Unexpected Guest” to “In the Felsenlabyrynth.” Neither the margins nor the print seem unusually small. Is there something missing? I am trying to avoid the wikiarticle because I do not want my eyes to land upon any spoilers. I usually avoid the wikiarticles for these books until I’ve finished reading them. Thanks! — SpikeToronto (talk) 06:46, 28 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Hi there and thanks for the message. You copy is undoubtedly complete as the paginations of most of the first editions is very generous with quite large type, generous spaces between the chapters (sometimes almost a whole page) and large book or chapter headings at the top of each page. In the second world war (for the UK anyway) this all changes due to paper shortages and all of the latter features disappear - the typeface on some of the first editions in the 1940s is very small and the books on my shelf are half as narrow as the books in the 20's and 30's. Compare the page count on this site for the UK firsts of the largest book (Dumb Witness) and the smallest (Sparkling Cyanide) - 310 v 160 - yet there is very little difference in the modern paperback printing page count. The only possibly abridged book that you may want to avoid is The Moving Finger, US edition where their version in 1942 had less text than the slightly later 1943 UK version. I don't know by how much as I got this info from a book on Christie by Robert Barnard. As long as you are reading a Collins or Fontana edition of Moving Finger you should be safe. All the best. John. --Jtomlin1uk (talk) 08:22, 28 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Thank you so much for this informative answer! As always, you’re a font of information! Time to start reading The Big Four… — SpikeToronto (talk) 18:59, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Secret Notebooks
Hello Mr. Tomlin! I see you have your new copy of Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks. It’s still only available as a pre-order over this side of the world. How is it? Is it worth the read?! I’ve ordered it and can only wait to discover all the secrets you’ve already unearthed. :) By the way, have you read Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack? When I was pre-ordering Notebooks I noticed it and ordered it as well. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be trash … but then I really wouldn’t mind. I’m also awaiting a copy of the Morgan biography that I had to order from Amazon UK. Amazon US no longer had it and the print-on-demand version that Amazon Canada had they stopped selling just as I ordered it. Hope all’s well with you! I finished The Big Four, by the way, and did not like it. Oh well, guess she can’t win ’em all! (Respond here. I have your page under surveillance … er … “watched” …) — SpikeToronto (talk) 18:17, 13 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Hi there. It's a fascinating read to discover how some of her works reached their final form. For instance, she appears to have worked out the solution to Crooked House as she went along and did not settle on it at the start but this is not to say that she typed the first words of any of her books without preparation: The ABC Murders was carefully worked out before any key was pressed with seemingly each chapter's points written out and crossed through as she typed them. There's also some fascinating material to show that Sleeping Murder was not written in the Second World War but some time later, perhaps even post-1950. There are several more exact publication dates which I will upload. By the way, the book states the the US and UK versions of Triangle at Rhodes are different so watch out for that one when you come to read it and go for the UK Collins version. John.--Jtomlin1uk (talk) 20:20, 13 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I just checked and the one being sold by Amazon Canada is as follows:


 * Hardcover: 480 pages
 * Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Trade (Oct 15 2009)
 * Language: English
 * ISBN-10: 0007310560
 * ISBN-13: 978-0007310562
 * Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 4.4 cm


 * Interesting that Notebooks suggests that Sleeping Murder was written in the 1950s, while Laura Thompson’s biography says 1940 (p. 344 paperback). I just received my copy of the Morgan biography from Amazon UK today. In it, Morgan says that Christie “began” writing Sleeping Murder in 1940 under the title, Cover Her Face (p 229 paperback). On another note, have you considered buying Agatha Christie At Home? It hasn't been released here yet, but it is already available there in the UK. Finally, I haven’t received Duchess of Death yet. Had to order it from the States and it is en route, according to Amazon US’s order updating system. (This book is not available through Amazon UK but is available through Amazon US.) JT, you seem to have tremendous familiarity with Christie’s works whereas I am reacquainting myself with them for the first time since I was a teenager back in the dark ages! My decrepitude has blessed me with ignorance where all the plots are concerned, excepting Ackroyd. — SpikeToronto (talk) 04:29, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

The Big Four: Plot Summary
Dear Mr. Tomlin: I was looking at the plot summary for The Big Four and noticed that it was incomplete, ending as it does somewhere between chapters six and eight. I was considering perhaps finishing it, but am uncertain as to how to proceed. I have a few questions that I was hoping your work on Wikiprojects Novels might help you to answer. In Styles, the entire plot summary is four paragraphs long, while, in Adversary, the plot summary is at least 20 paragraphs in length. I read somewhere that plot summaries were not supposed to be scene by scene, chapter by chapter, synopses. Would you be so kind as to give me the Wikiprojects Novels’, and/or your, interpretation of the guidelines at MOS:FICT, WP:PLOTONLY, and WP:PLOTSUM? As the Big Four plot summary now stands, it would be a daunting task to continue through to the end. However, if it could be done as was Styles, I might be able to tackle it. If it is to be done like Adversary, it would require at least 18 paragraphs. Thanks for your advice and help! (P.S. Please respond here; I have your talk page “watched”.) — Spike (talk) 22:04, 17 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I've done several plot summaries myself (Murder on the Links, Man in the Brown Suit, Chimneys, Seven Dials, Peril at End House and Why Didn't They Asks Evans) and my honest answer is, in this instance, to ignore the guidelines and do what you feel is best. Styles, for me, is too short as a plot summary. Christie's plots are notoriously complicated and, if written into a shorter form, convey little to the reader of the complexity and ingenuity used. I tend to type in word the summary, leafing through page after page of a paperback. I then refine several times and go back to it a day or so later and read again - at which point I see areas that see expanding but more often than not areas where I think I've typed something that's in the book but is not essential to a summary. I think Evans was my longest summary ever - even I felt uncomfortable with its length - and a few month later another editor came along and shortened it, very judiciously as well. If you want I'll proof-read whatever you write and make suggestions. Something else - and this is a personal viewpoint - I simply couldn't finish someone else's half-completed work: I'd start the whole summary from scratch.--Jtomlin1uk (talk) 08:18, 18 September 2009 (UTC)


 * Oh dear, Mr. Tomlin. I have to admit, I was secretly hoping you were going to tell me that a summary like the one in Styles would be sufficient, since it is a significantly less daunting task than a full synopsis. Alas, you are of the plot synopsis school of thought vis-à-vis plot summaries. In all honesty, then, I must further admit that while I don’t like writing synopses, I do like reading them! So, I guess I’m in the plot synopsis camp as well. :) Hmm … now what? It galls me that the plot summary in The Big Four is unfinished and — if I understand the expand template — has been for a bit of a while. But I don’t want us writing the equivalent of Coles Notes either. Hmm … maybe between the two of us, we can take a stab at it. I have another article that I have left by the wayside that I should get back to, but since I think virtually no one else on Wikipedia even knows it exists, I can leave it a bit longer. I guess the only way to tackle this would be chapter by chapter. Do you think that chapter sub-headings would be too much? Also, any other tips for writing synopses? My problem is that I am an infinitely better “editor” than a “writer”. I look forward to hearing from you. Please respond here as I have your talk page watched. Ciao for now! — Spike (talk) 00:11, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Sorry but I can't really add more than I have done already. The only other thing I can suggest is that you write something and e-mail me and I'll critique it for you if you want.--Jtomlin1uk (talk) 12:51, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

7 shillings and 6d
Hi,

I've been looking at a number of the Christie novels. How exactly was a 1936 purchase price declared to be the most important fact which should lead off every article?

That is interesting information which should be at the end where it logically belongs.

The price is mentioned before the detective is even named.

Varlaam (talk) 02:15, 10 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I do think the historical pricing is interesting, in its way.
 * But if we take it to its logical conclusion, you not only get the 7 bob thruppence ha'penny, plus a US price like now, but the cost of the first cheap edition printed on the Continent on bad paper. Then the first South African edition in rand. The Indian edition in rupees. The NZ price ("price includes VAT"!).
 * All of that would be cool, but not as a table in the introductory paragraph.
 * Since there seems to be this information floating around, why not an historical pricing section for Christie novels? Redefine the standard for her books. That would be fine. Everybody loves those novels.
 * Varlaam (talk) 02:13, 28 February 2010 (UTC) (in Toronto)

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