The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Newnes, 1905.
First edition. Original dark blue cloth with gilt lettering. Sixteen full page black and white plates after Sydney Paget. A near fine copy, uncommonly bright and crisp with a little toning to the spine and the slightest wear to the spine ends. Internally tight with scattered foxing throughout, notably to the half title and an owner's name to the front endpaper. A well preserved copy, seldom encountered in such nice condition.
Conan Doyle had attempted to kill off Sherlock Holmes in 1893 to concentrate on less sensational writing. Explaining the decision to his mother he wrote, "He takes my mind from better things". His mother replied succinctly, "You won't! You can't! You mustn't!". The public at large responded in much the same vein and despite a 'reminiscence' in the form of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902, Doyle's historical fiction was met only with a constant clamour for more Sherlock Holmes. Eventually, an offer from an American magazine of $45,000 for thirteen new Holmes stories was too tempting to turn down.
For the first edition, 15,000 sets of sheets were printed, but less than 12,000 bound up, which is about half the number of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Its fine cloth and squat construction have made it particularly susceptible to wear, making copies in such fresh condition notably uncommon.
Green & Gibson A29a.
Stock ID: 40942
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