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''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery novel by Agatha Christie, widely considered her masterpiece and described by her as the most difficult of her books to write.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=HarderCollins article on their adaptation ISBN 978-0-00-727532-8 (2009) )〕 It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939 as ''Ten Little Niggers'', after the British blackface song, which serves as a major plot point. The U.S. edition was not released until December 1939 with the title changed to the last five words in the original American version of the nursery rhyme: ''And Then There Were None''. In the novel, ten people are lured into coming to an island under different pretexts, e.g. offers of employment or to enjoy a late summer holiday, or to meet with old friends. All have been complicit in the deaths of other human beings but either escaped justice or committed an act that was not subject to legal sanction. The guests are charged with their respective "crimes" by a gramophone recording after dinner the first night and informed that they have been brought to the island to pay for their actions. They are the only people on the island, and cannot escape due to the distance from the mainland and the inclement weather, yet gradually all ten are killed in turn, in a manner that seems to parallel the ten deaths in the nursery rhyme. Nobody else seems to be left alive on the island by the time of the apparent last death. A confession, in the form of a postscript to the novel, unveils how the killings took place and who was responsible. It is Christie's best-selling novel with over 100 million copies sold, also making it the world's best-selling mystery, and one of the best-selling books of all time. Publications International lists the novel as the seventh best-selling title. ==Plot summary== On a hot late August day, eight people arrive on Soldier Island, a small isolated island off the Devon coast of England. Each appears to have an invitation tailored to his or her personal circumstances, such as an offer of employment or an unexpected late summer holiday or to meet with old friends. They are met by the butler and cook (who have never met their employer), making a total of ten people known to be on the island. While awaiting their hosts, they find a framed copy of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Niggers" ("Soldiers" or "Indians" in later editions) hanging on the wall, and notice ten figurines on the dining room table, as well as discussing other oddities about the house and their visit. The butler plays a gramophone (or "phonograph") record while they are talking, as he had been instructed to do; unexpectedly the recording contains a voice that describes each visitor in turn and accuses each of having committed murder but evaded justice, and asks if any of "the accused" wishes to offer a defence. All appear to be shocked and most profess innocence. Anthony Marston and Philip Lombard, however, admit the charges are true, and Miss Brent refuses to discuss the matter with the gentlemen but the next day relates her account to Vera Claythorne. In the aftermath, Marston finishes his drink. However, it was poisoned with potassium cyanide and he chokes and dies almost immediately. Subsequently the guests notice one of the ten figurines is now broken, and the nursery rhyme appears to reflect the manner of death ("One choked his little self and then there were nine"). The rest of the guests are killed off one by one, although there is an enormous red herring, which makes the order of deaths not what it initially appears. ;Current published version of the rhyme Ten little Indian Boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little Indian Boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little Indian Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven. Seven little Indian Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six. Six little Indian Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little Indian Boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little Indian Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little Indian Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little Indian Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one.〔Note: In some versions the ninth verse reads ''Two little Soldier boys playing with a gun/One shot the other and then there was One.''〕 One little Indian Boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「And Then There Were None」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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