"A book should serve as the axe for the frozen sea within us."
— Franz Kafka

London: Grant Richards, 1900. First Edition. 8vo. Publisher's dark blue cloth titled and decorated in gilt to spine and front board. A used copy with some shelfwear,rubbed to extremities, gilt illustration rubbed to upper, discreet owner stamp to flyleaf, inside paper joint cracked. Very good. Illustrated throughout by Gordon Browne..... More
Edinburgh: The Tragara Press, 1978. Limited edition. Number 67 of 165 copies. 8vo. Illustrated by Elspeth Sojka. Bound in publisher's original marbled card wraps. Fine with trifling edgewear. Internally clean and bright, a very pretty copy of a scarce piece of Sherlockiana. More
London: Jonathan Cape, 2005. [Historical Mystery] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[6] 360 [2]. SIGNED by the author in black ink to the title page. Publisher's olive cloth decorated in black and titled in white to spine and upper. With the original printed paper band to rear board..... More
London: Ward, Lock and Co., June to November 1898. [Literary Magazine] FIRST APPEARANCES. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.vi; 716. With many photogravure illustrations. Contemporary deep burgundy half calf with gilt titles to spine and dark green foliate cloth. All edges flecked red; yellow coated endpapers. Binding rubbed and worn, slightly..... More
Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1904. [Historical Fiction] COPYRIGHT EDITION. Sextodecimo (16 x 12cm), pp.279; [33]. Publisher's printed paper wraps. Latest date January 1904, given on the first page of advertisements at rear. An extremely clean, crisp copy. Fine. More
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., 1930. [Literature] The Crowborough Edition, Limited to 760 sets of which this is number 214, SIGNED by the Author in the first volume. 24 volumes. Publisher's brown paper covered boards with the author's facsimile signature in gilt to uppers; oatmeal-coloured buckram spines..... More
London: Ward, Lock and Co., 1898. [Literary Magazine]. FIRST APPEARANCES. Octavo (25 x 18cm), pp.vi; 3-716. With numerous in-text lithographic illustrations. In publisher's green cloth with red titles to spine and upper board. Brown floral endpapers. With a PSA Book Fund bookplate to front pastedown. Some gatherings a little loose;..... More
London: George Newnes, 1891-1893. Large octavo, with illustrations. 6 volumes. Original magazine parts bound in half-yearly volumes of tan half calf, gilt, with marbled sides and brown morocco title labels, edges speckled red. Some light occasional thumbing and marking within; externally fine. An attractive copy in a robust recent leather..... More
London: Methuen and Co. 1929. [Sherlockiana] FIRST EDITION, First Issue. Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.viii, 208; [8]. In publisher's pink cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board, lower edges untrimmed, printed dust-wrapper priced at 6s. Contents clean, jacket toned to spine, lightly rubbed at joints. Very good indeed..... More
London: Victor Gollancz, 1966. [Mystery] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.157; [3], blank. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine, in an unmistakably restrained yellow Gollancz dust-jacket priced at 18s. Fine in near fine jacket. How Holmes might have solved the infamous Whitehall murders. More
Chicago, IL: Privately Printed for the Friends of Walter M. Hill, Christmas 1920. [Crime fiction] FIRST EDITION. Slim octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.39; [1], blank. Bound in publisher's mustard-coloured textured paper over boards with printed title label to spine, Japanese vellum endpapers, edges uncut, original off-white tissue jacket. Internally fine..... More
New York, Dodd Mead and Co., 1885. First edition. Four volumes. Octavo. Publisher's dark blue cloth, titled and decorated in gilt to spines and uppers. All volumes clean and sharp with light wear to spine ends, pale spot to lower edge front board volume III. Volume I has some minor..... More
New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, 21st October 1893. FIRST APPEARANCE. The second of two parts, folio. Illustrated by W. H. Hyde. A story later collected in 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. In publisher's illustrated paper covers, sewn. Hinges very weak; front nearly loose. Large tear to front cover mended..... More
London: Hutchinson and Co., no date [December 1922]. [Occult] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.110. Complete with 16 photographic plates showing 31 photographic images. As Green and Gibson note, the illustrations list call for an additional plate, but no copy with this plate has ever been noted; it seems..... More
New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, June 17, 1893. FIRST AMERICAN APPEARANCE of this adventure, illustrated by W.H. Hyde, which was later collected in 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. Single newspaper issue in pictorial wraps (41 x 29cm). Disbound or extracted from a hardcover with associated wear to the spine..... More
New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, September 16, 1893. FIRST AMERICAN APPEARANCE of this adventure, illustrated by W.H. Hyde, which was later collected in 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. Single newspaper issue in pictorial wraps (40 x 28cm). Disbound or extracted from a hardcover with associated sewing holes to spine..... More
New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, February 11, 1893. FIRST AMERICAN APPEARANCE of this adventure, illustrated by W.H. Hyde, which was later collected in 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. Single newspaper issue in pictorial wraps (41 x 29cm). Disbound or extracted from a hardcover with associated wear to the spine..... More
London: George Newnes, December 1912. [Magazine Extract] FIRST APPEARANCE. Octavo pamphlet (23 x 16cm), pp.603-611 [1]. With dichromatic illustrations by Brock. Leaves removed from a copy of The Strand Magazine and bound recently in brown paper, with a plain printed title label to upper, stapled twice. Light creasing and marking..... More
Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914 [1915]. [Crime Fiction] FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, Canadian Issue. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.320. With seven dichromatic half-tone plates after drawings by Keller, including a frontispiece. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. A little shaken. Light rubbing to boards with a...... More
New York, NY: George H. Doran Company, 1914. [Detective fiction] TRUE FIRST EDITION, prior to UK first printing, which was not illustrated. Post octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.320. With seven full-page illustrations by Arthur I. Keller, including the frontispiece. Publisher's red cloth blocked in gilt. Contents clean, cloth lightly handled..... More
London: George Newnes, Ltd., 1905. [Detective mysteries] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[8]; 403; [1]; [4] publisher's advertisements. Publisher's blue cloth, simply titled in gilt to spine and upper. Illustrated with a frontispiece and fifteen further plates by Paget. Half-title foxed, some light occasional spotting within else internally clean..... More
London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1915. [Sherlock Holmes] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8] 306 [6]. With a black and white frontispiece illustrated by Wiles. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Quite heavy spotting throughout, with toned edges and a strong tobacco scent. An..... More
London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1911. [Short stories] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.viii; 298 [14]. With a chromolithographic frontispiece by Wyeth and one further lithographic illustration by Rountree. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. Contents clean, edges slightly toned, moderate handling and wear..... More
New York, NY: Optimus Printing Company, no date [circa 1905]. [Sherlock Holmes] PIRATE EDITION. Duodecimo (17 x 11cm), pp.30 [2]; 30 [2]; 30 [2]; 30 [2]; 30 [2]. Publisher's light blue cloth with blue titles and decoration to spine and upper. Extremely heavily browned and brittle throughout. Advertisement leaf at..... More
London: John Murray, 1924-1931. A finely bound collection of Murray editions, all but one published during the author's lifetime. Ten volumes, octavo (19 x 13 x 35cm). In exquisite half tan calf with full gilt backs, twin title labels, buckram sides, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Mostly clean within (some..... More