By Marsie Hall Newbold
Enquirer contributor

Who: Jeffrey Marks, 43, of Colerain Township, a mystery writer whose newest book, Atomic Renaissance: Women Mystery Writers of the 1940's and 1950's (Delphi Books; $21.95) is due out in September.

What: His collection of 76 first-edition Agatha Christie novels.

Where: Ensconced in "a couple of bookshelves" in the condominium he shares with his Scottish terrier, Ellery.

Parental intervention: Marks' interest in "the queen of crime" began at age 15 when his parents introduced him to her work.

Soon, he was "hooked" and eager to read more of her thrillers.

One by one: "Before the Internet there weren't really a lot of bookstores that you could go to and buy all of the books.

"I didn't know what I was doing at first, so I ended up finding a few dealers who sold mysteries and whenever I would talk to them, they would always recommend the first editions."

Unknowingly, the Northwest High School student had begun a lifelong journey.

"A first edition," he explains, "is the first appearance of a book in print.

When an author starts out, usually they don't have as many books in a printing.

"Therefore first editions tend to be a little more valuable in the beginning of their careers.

Even Agatha Christie started out as an unpublished author at one point."

A real gem: Marks' most prized possession is a first edition of Christie's first work, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920).

"I bought it for myself for high school graduation," he says. "I paid $90 and today it is worth a couple of thousand."

Revisited: Even though the Miami University graduate has read all of Christie's novels many times, he still re-reads five or six a year just for "fun and enjoyment," and credits her as an inspiration in his own writing endeavors.

Like coming home: "I have always liked the touch and feel of books," Marks says.

"It's wonderful to crack open the spine and look at the pages. They have that special kind of smell to them.

"Probably the only thing more exciting than collecting the Agatha Christie books is opening my own and having that same experience with what I have written."

To find out more about Marks, visit his Web site at www.jeffreymarks.com.

Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202: e-mail: marsolete@aol.com. Please include a daytime, weekday phone number.