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The Best of Sherlock Holmes |
By Randall Stock, March 1, 2004
This checklist provides information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's manuscripts. Entries typically include the owner or location of the manuscript and a description of it. Many entries also include some ownership history.
The checklist focuses on handwritten manuscripts for Conan Doyle's published works, not including the 60 Holmes stories. However, some other items are included. For Holmes material, see the separate Sherlock Holmes manuscript census summary.
Special News: Find out about the 16 November 2004 sale of "The Solitary Cyclist" manuscript and an original Paget drawing. For details on other important sales of Conan Doyle material, see the links on the ACD Manuscripts section home page.
Please send me e-mail if you know about any other Conan Doyle archival material, including letters, typescripts and manuscripts for the Holmes stories. Your information could be useful for this or other checklists in the future.
Stories are listed alphabetically by title. You can also use your browser's Find capability (Ctrl+F) to quickly locate a title.
Listing by Title
Angels of Darkness: A Drama in Three Acts
Toronto Reference Library Special Collections. Toronto, Canada.
Library web site: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/
Toronto Arthur Conan Doyle Collection page
Description: Five ruled exercise notebooks (187 leaves of 67, 32, 52, 15, 21). Holograph, signed "A. Conan Doyle, MD." Place of writing noted as "Bush Villa Southsea." [1885?-1890?]
History: Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his son Adrian. Adrian Conan Doyle (1910-1970) owned it at his death in 1970. It was offered in 1973 by his widow Anna Conan Doyle (?-1990) and listed at $50,000 in 1974 by Feldman (Fortieth). However, it went unsold and was bequeathed by her to the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. It's been in their collection since 1992.
Illustrated in:
Angels of Darkness: A Drama in Three Acts by Arthur Conan Doyle, edited with an introduction by Peter E. Blau. (New York: The Baker Street Irregulars in cooperation with the Toronto Public Library, 2001). Partial manuscript facsimile and complete manuscript transcription. Includes commentary on date of the manuscript. Available from the Baker Street Journal website.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (2/27/02) under title "Angels of Darkness: A Drama in Three Acts" with additional descriptive information. This previously unpublished play was either based on or was the basis for A Study in Scarlet. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
Brigadier Gerard at Waterloo
see "How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo"
Coming of the Huns, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 12 leaves.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle in 2002 and part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) but confirmed by Newberry staff (2/5/04) and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Copley Banks, The Voyage of
see "How Copley Banks slew Captain Sharkey"
Danger!
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 42 leaves, bound. Signed at end "Arthur Conan Doyle. Crowborough. Ap 21/14" [April 21, 1914]
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "Danger" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Duet with an Occasional Chorus, A (1)
Private collection of Dr. Richard J. Sveum (Nov. 2003)
Description: Autograph manuscript, approximately 220 pages, folio (337 x 197 mm), bound. [1899]
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death, and her estate sold it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 to Dr. Sveum.
Notes: Ownership confirmed with Dr. Sveum on 1/27/04. See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. (Last updated: 1/27/04).
Duet with an Occasional Chorus, A (2)
Owned by a private collector (Feb. 2004)
Description: Autograph manuscript for an Introduction to this work.
Notes: Private e-mail from owner on 2/11/04. The owner noted that the Introduction might not have been published. (Last updated: 2/16/04).
Edge of the Unknown, The
Owned by a private collector (Feb. 2004)
Description: Autograph manuscript of the Preface to this work.
Notes: Private e-mail from owner on 2/11/04. (Last updated: 2/16/04).
Flowery Land, The Voyage of the
see "Voyage of the Flowery Land"
Forgotten Tale, A
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois. (planned)
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 3 leaves.
History: (incomplete) Owned by Dr. Kittle and planned to be part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) but noted by Terras and ownership confirmed on 2/20/04. (Last updated: 2/20/04).
Giant Maximin
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed. 18 pages (rectos only) of ruled sheets; folio. Signed at end "A. Conan Doyle | Windlesham | Crowborough". [ca. 1911]
History: (incomplete) First page bound with manuscript for "An Iconoclast," donated in 1944 by George Matthew Adams to Haverford College, and reunited with the rest of the manuscript in 1997. The other 17 pages were probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his son Adrian. Adrian Conan Doyle (1910-1970) owned it at his death in 1970. It was offered in 1973 by his widow Anna Conan Doyle (?-1990) and listed at $500 in 1974 by Feldman (Fortieth). These 17 pages were donated by Dr. Kittle in 1997 and the entire manuscript is now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library. See the entry for "An Iconoclast" for additional details.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "Giant Maximin" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Glimpse of the Army, A
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois. (planned)
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed "A. Conan Doyle" and dated 12 May 1900. 13 pages, folio.
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death, and her estate sold it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 to Dr. Kittle. It is planned to be part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. Ownership confirmed (2/5/04). (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Great Shadow, The
University of Texas, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. Austin, Texas.
Library web site: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/
Ransom Center web site: http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/
Description: Bound manuscript, no date.
Notes: Not listed in the library online catalog UTNetCAT (3/10/02) or Ransom Center digital finding aids, but noted in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. (Last updated: 3/9/02)
Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe, The
The National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts Division. Edinburgh, Scotland.
Library web site: http://www.nls.uk/
Description: 24 pages. Holograph. [1877?]
History: Submitted by Conan Doyle to Blackwood's Magazine in Edinburgh (late 1870s) but held in company archives and never published; archives presented to The National Library of Scotland (1942-present).
Illustrated in:
The Haunted Grange of Goresthorpe by Arthur Conan Doyle, edited by Christopher Roden (Ashcroft, British Columbia: Arthur Conan Doyle Society, 2000). Published in an edition of 500 copies. Includes a reproduction of the manuscript's opening page and the first-ever publication of the complete text of the story.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalogs (3/10/02). However, noted as "MS.4791 in the Blackwood Archive in the Library’s Manuscripts Division" in the Summer 2001 (No. 10) issue of the library's newsletter "Quarto" (also online in 637K Acrobat file at <http://www.nls.uk/media/22757/quarto10.pdf> (originally <http://www.nls.uk/news/quarto/quarto10.pdf>). The story was first published in December 2000 (see above "Illustrated"). Details on the manuscript, especially its description, are welcomed. (Last updated: 3/12/02).
Homecoming, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed. 17 pages including an unnumbered title page; 33 cm. Bound in vellum.
History: (incomplete) Probably owned by estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1930-1940s) and allocated to his son Adrian in the 1940s. Owned by Adrian Conan Doyle (author's son, 1940s?-1970). Offered in 1975 by Anna Conan Doyle (Adrian's widow) for $500 through Lew David Feldman (Fortieth). Anna Conan Doyle died in 1990. Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "Homecoming" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Horror of the Heights, The
University of Minnesota, The Sherlock Holmes Collections. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Library website: http://www.lib.umn.edu/
Special Collections site: https://www.lib.umn.edu/scrbm/holmes
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed. 18 pages (8 x 13 in.), rectos only, with an additional autograph title page. Bound in vellum.
History: (incomplete) Part of the Mary Kahler and Philip S. Hench Collection at the University of Minnesota Libraries since the 1980s.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog MNCAT (9/15/03) but confirmed by the curator. A facsimile is planned for mid-2004. (Last updated: 2/2/04).
How Copley Banks slew Captain Sharkey
aka "The Voyage of Copley Banks"
Owned by a private collector (Feb. 2004)
Description: Autograph manuscript.
Notes: Private e-mail from owner on 2/11/04. Published in McClure's Magazine as "Tales of the High Seas: No. 3—The Voyage of Copley Banks." (Last updated: 2/16/04).
How Etienne Gerard joined the Hussars of Conflans
see "How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa"
How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo
aka "Brigadier Gerard at Waterloo"
Part I. – The Story of the Forest Inn
Part II. – The Story of the Nine Prussian Horsemen
Estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle
Description: 79 pages, in two stapled gatherings, signed.
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death. Her estate offered it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 but it went unsold.
Notes: Listed in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa
aka "How Etienne Gerard joined the Hussars of Conflans"
New York Public Library, Berg Collection. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.nypl.org/
Berg Collection site: http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/berg-collection-english-and-american-literature
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed, no date. 23 pages; folio. Probably entitled "How Etienne Gerard Joined the Hussars." [published April 1903 and dated as 1903 in a Feldman catalogue ca. 1971]
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his son Adrian. Adrian Conan Doyle (1910-1970) owned it at his death in 1970. It was offered in 1973 by his widow Anna Conan Doyle (?-1990), and listed in 1974 by Feldman (Fortieth) as sold. Currently in the Berg Collection.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog CATNYP (2/28/02) or in the Berg Collection digital finding aid (2/28/02), but confirmed by several researchers and described in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. (Last updated: 4/15/02).
How the Brigadier Lost His Ear
Estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle
Description: 42 pages, gathered with a staple, signed.
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death. Her estate offered it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 but it went unsold.
Notes: Listed in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
How the Brigadier Rode to Minsk
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript in black ink, signed, no date. 21 pages (rectos only); foolscap; two stocks of paper. Signed at end ''Arthur Conan Doyle. | Undershaw | Hindhead.'' The original title of ''How Brigadier Gerard broke his parole'' was stricken and replaced by the new title. [1902 per Sotheby's London 17 Dec 1998]
Illustrated:
Sotheby's catalogue (London – 6 & 7 December 1984). Lot 186. Opening page of story.
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) sold it through Sotheby's London on 6 December 1984 as lot 186 to Norman Rosenbaum, an English collector, for £5,200 plus a 10% buyer's premium. The proceeds of the sale went to the R.A.F. Association Welfare Fund. Rosenbaum sold it through Sotheby's London (Sale LN8729 lot 334) on 17 December 1998. Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "How the Brigadier rode to Minsk" and noted by Terras. Described in the online entry for the 1998 sale at Sotheby's website < http://www.sothebys.com/ > and in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
How the Brigadier Saved an Army
New York Public Library, Berg Collection. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.nypl.org/
Berg Collection site: http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/berg-collection-english-and-american-literature
Description: Autograph manuscript, no signature, no date. 48 pages, 4to. Also published as "How the Brigadier Saved the Army." [dated as 1902 in a Feldman catalogue ca. 1971]
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his son Adrian. Adrian Conan Doyle (1910-1970) owned it at his death in 1970. It was offered in 1973 by his widow Anna Conan Doyle (?-1990), and listed in 1974 by Feldman (Fortieth) as sold. Currently in the Berg Collection.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog CATNYP (2/28/02) or in the Berg Collection digital finding aid (2/28/02), but confirmed by several researchers and described in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. (Last updated: 4/15/02).
How the Brigadier took the field against the Marshal Millefleurs
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript. 22 leaves plus 4 fragments. Bound in red morocco gilt.
History: (incomplete) Once part of the William Randolph Hearst Collection, it was later owned by Dr. Alfred Heacock Whittaker. The manuscript was sold at auction through Swann Galleries in New York as lot 44 on 17 April 1997 to Dr. Kittle. Donated by him circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "How the Brigadier took the field" and noted by Terras. Information on prior ownership in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Iconoclast, An
Haverford College. Haverford, Pennsylvania.
Library web site: http://www.haverford.edu/library/
Description: Nine pages, bound in vellum with title and signature in Doyle's hand on cover. Holograph, signed on cover "A. Conan Doyle." Pages are numbered and include a tally of 2,800 words. [ca. 1911 publication date]
History: (incomplete) Owned (?-1944) by George Matthew Adams, an acquaintance of Christopher Morley and on Morley's suggestion donated to Haverford College (1944-present).
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (2/27/02) under title or author. However, see "The Case of the Accidental Acquisition" Haverford College Library Newsletter No. 23 (May 1998) <http://www.haverford.edu/library/about/newsletter/news23.html#5> for other details. One manuscript page from another story ("Giant Maximin") was bound in with this manuscript until 1997. (Last updated: 4/10/03).
King of the Foxes, The
Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections. Hanover, New Hampshire.
Library web site: http://library.dartmouth.edu/
Description: Bound in vellum with title in Doyle's hand on cover. [ca. 1898 publication date]
History: (incomplete) Gift to Dartmouth of Perc S. Brown and H.G. Rugg.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (2/27/02) under title "King of the Foxes." (Last updated: 2/27/02).
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 9 leaves plus title page, bound. Dated Feb. 8, 1910.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "last galley" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Last of the Legions, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 9 leaves, bound.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle in 2002 and part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) but confirmed by Newberry staff (2/5/04) and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Last Resource, The
Owned by a private collector (Feb. 2004)
Description: Autograph manuscript.
Notes: Private e-mail from owner on 2/11/04. (Last updated: 2/16/04).
Leather Funnel, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 15 leaves, bound. Signed.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "Leather funnel" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Lost World, The
New York Public Library, Berg Collection. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.nypl.org/
Berg Collection site: http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/berg-collection-english-and-american-literature
Description: Autograph manuscript. Approximately 300 pages. Bound with cover inscribed "Arthur Conan Doyle" in ink. Includes significant material that was not part of the final published text.
Notes: Not listed in the library online catalog CATNYP (2/28/02) or in the Berg Collection digital finding aid (2/28/02), but confirmed by several researchers and described by Pilot and Rodin in The Annotated Lost World. They note that the collection also includes four archival boxes of notes, letters, and other material related to the story. (Last updated: 5/1/02).
Maracot Deep, The
Estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle
Description: 143 leaves, bound, signed and dated 1927.
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death. Her estate offered it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 but it went unsold.
Notes: See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Marriage of the Brigadier, The
History: (incomplete) Once part of the William Randolph Hearst Collection and reported sold at auction through Hammer Galleries in 1941.
Notes: Listed in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. Details on its current ownership are welcomed. (Last updated: 3/29/02)
Memories and Adventures
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections. South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Library web site: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/lits/
Description: 396 unnumbered leaves; 7-29 cm. Chiefly holograph, some typescript. Some handwriting by Major Wood (Doyle's secretary) and some in an unidentified hand. End of final chapter noted as "Crowborough, 19th. December 1923." [ca. 1923]
History: (incomplete) Owned by Dr. James Bliss Austin and bequeathed by him to Mount Holyoke College.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (2/26/02) under title "Memories and Adventures: Holograph" with additional descriptive information. Doyle's autobiography was published in the Strand Magazine and in two book editions in 1924 and 1930. (Last updated: 2/27/02).
Notes from a Strange Mailbag
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 22 leaves.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle in 2002 and part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) but confirmed by Newberry staff (2/5/04) and noted by Terras. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
Red Star, The
Owned by a private collector (Feb. 2004).
Description: Autograph manuscript, 11 pages, signed by Doyle, bound in boards.
History: (incomplete) Held by the current owner since the early 1970s.
Notes: Private e-mails (1/5/04, 2/29/04) from owner. (Last updated: 2/29/04).
Recent Psychic Evidence
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 7 leaves, autograph letter, signed.
History: (incomplete) Donated by Dr. Kittle circa 2002 and now part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "Recent psychic evidence" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. This letter was published in the New York Times on 2 September 1923. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Refugees, The (1)
Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library Special Collections. Provo, Utah.
Library web site: http://lib.byu.edu/
Description: Autograph manuscript, not signed. 414 leaves; 34 x 22 cm. Bound in 2 volumes. Dated "Begun 1/91" on the first leaf. Complete with three minor exceptions of approximately 400 words out of more than 150,000. Second volume contains sections not in proper numerical sequence. [1891-1892; Green and Gibson pp. 68 as Dec 1891–Feb 1892]
History: (incomplete) Acquired circa 1976 by the Harold B. Lee Library.
Notes: Listed under title "refugees a tale" in library online catalog (4/30/02) with additional descriptive information. The second volume also includes seven pages bound in from Uncle Bernac (see below). Referred to in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. See entry (2) below for information on related material. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
Refugees, The (2)
The Morgan Library. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.themorgan.org/
Description: Typed manuscript with autograph emendations, signed. 1 page. Three pieces of paper glued together. Signed at bottom "A Conan Doyle. MD. | 12 Tennison Road | South Norwood." The first page of Chapter XXIV.
Notes: Library catalog is not accessible via the Internet (2/28/02). However, this item is described in a paper by Matthew Demakos. See entry (1) above for details on the bulk of the manuscript. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
Rodney Stone
History: (incomplete) Once part of the William Randolph Hearst Collection and reported sold at auction through Hammer Galleries in 1941.
Notes: Listed in The Great Shadow by Cliff Goldfarb. Details on its current ownership are welcomed. (Last updated: 3/29/02).
Romance of Medicine, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois. (planned)
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 19 leaves.
History: (incomplete) Owned by Dr. Kittle and planned to be part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Notes: Not listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) but noted by Terras and ownership confirmed (2/5/04). Conan Doyle gave this medical lecture on 3 October 1910 and it was published in full that month. (Last updated: 2/5/04).
The Morgan Library. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.themorgan.org/
Description: 388 pages; 329 x 190 mm. Bound in green cloth. Holograph, signed "A Conan Doyle" and dated "1905." The opening paragraphs are missing some passages found in the published version. 1905.
Notes: Library catalog is not accessible via the Internet (2/28/02). However, this item is described in a paper by Matthew Demakos. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
Story of the Forest Inn, The
Story of the Nine Prussian Horsemen, The
see "How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo"
Terror of Blue John Gap, The
Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections. Hanover, New Hampshire.
Library web site: http://library.dartmouth.edu/
Description: Bound in vellum with title in Doyle's hand on cover. [ca. 1910 publication date]
History: (incomplete) Gift to Dartmouth of Perc S. Brown and H.G. Rugg.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (2/27/02) under title "Terror of Blue John Gap." (Last updated: 2/27/02).
Uncle Bernac (1)
Private collection of Roy Pilot (as of May 2002).
Description: Autograph manuscript in ink, no date, not signed. 122 pages (rectos only), foolscap approximately 13 x 8 inches; loose pages in custom box. Includes a number of cut and/or inserted pages. Opening page includes the working title of "Boulogne | A Memory of the Empire" rather than the published title.
History: (incomplete) Sold in an estate sale to a private dealer, who then sold it circa 1985 to Roy Pilot.
Notes: This manuscript was used for the serialized version of the story. For the book version, Chapter 12 was revised and expanded into four chapters (12-15) and the final chapter was changed as well. Those four chapters are not included with this item. See entry (2) below for information on a fragment of those chapters. The title of this story was changed when it was published in 1897 to Uncle Bernac: A Memory of the Empire. Descriptive and historical information provided by Roy Pilot to me in a personal conversation on 7 May 2002. Cliff Goldfarb (The Great Shadow) describes the manuscript and notes that this item may be "a final recopy from earlier drafts." (Last updated: 5/8/02).
Uncle Bernac (2)
Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library Special Collections. Provo, Utah.
Library web site: http://lib.byu.edu/
Description: Autograph manuscript. 7 pages. Part of the additional material used for Chapters 12-15 in the book version of the story, consisting of the last of Chapter 14 and the beginning of Chapter 15.
History: (incomplete) Acquired circa 1976 by the Harold B. Lee Library bound with the manuscript for The Refugees.
Notes: Listed under title "refugees a tale" in the library online catalog (4/30/02) with information on the manuscript for that story. These seven pages were bound into volume two of the manuscript for The Refugees. See also entry (1) above for related information. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
Undiscovered Country, The (introduction)
Private collection of Dr. Richard J. Sveum (Oct. 2003)
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed. 2 pages (rectos only), folio. Signed "Arthur Conan Doyle" and dated 20 March. [1918 as noted in Green and Gibson p. 358 and in Christie's 2002 sale description].
History: (incomplete) Owned by Richard M. Lackritz and sold by him through Christie's New York on 17 April 2002 to Dr. Sveum.
Notes: Ownership confirmed with Dr. Sveum on 10/22/03. This is a working draft of Conan Doyle's introduction to The Undiscovered Country edited by Harold Bayley and published in London by Cassell and Company in 1918. (Last updated: 10/29/03).
Voyage of Copley Banks, The
see "How Copley Banks slew Captain Sharkey"
Voyage of the Flowery Land, The
The Morgan Library. New York, New York.
Library web site: http://www.themorgan.org/
Description: Autograph manuscript, signed. 13 pages, 326 x 205 mm. Unbound in 1/2 red morocco slipcase. Entitled by Doyle as "Strange Studies from Life | IV | The voyage of the "Flowery Land"." The published version omits some passages and includes others that were stricken in the manuscript. [1899 per Green and Gibson pp. 422-423 and p. 342]
History: Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his son Adrian. Adrian Conan Doyle (1910-1970) owned it at his death in 1970. It was offered in 1973 by his widow Anna Conan Doyle (?-1990) and listed at $500 in 1974 by Feldman (Fortieth).
Notes: Library catalog is not accessible via the Internet (2/28/02). However, this item is described in a paper by Matthew Demakos. Although Doyle's article was written in 1899 and published in the U.S., this manuscript carries a title and part number from a related Strand series ("Strange Studies from Life") which published parts I-III in 1901. (Last updated: 4/30/02).
White Company, The
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Library web site: http://www.newberry.org/
Description: 531 leaves; 33 cm. (12.5" x 7.75"). Holograph text in black ink on white lined paper (rectos only) with typescript title page that includes publisher (Smith, Elder & Co.) address. Bound in red leather and cloth. [1889-1890, Green and Gibson p. 47]
History: (incomplete) Owned by David Gage Joyce of Chicago and sold through Sotheby's in December 1996 to Dr. Kittle. Donated by him in 1999 as part of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Illustrated in:
The Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle CD-ROM from Insight Engineering (ISBN: 1-891631-02-0). Facsimile of the complete first chapter, 14 leaves plus a title page fragment, in .bmp, .pcx, and .tif formats.
Notes: Listed in library online catalog (1/25/04) under title "White Company" with additional descriptive information and noted by Terras. See also related article on Dr. Kittle and the manuscript from the March 1997 Caxtonian at <http://www.caxtonclub.org/reading/doyle.html>. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
Ypres, September 1915
Estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle
Description: 3.5 pages, gathered by a pin, signed. Dated 'Oct 10' [1915].
History: (incomplete) Probably allocated in the 1940s from the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his daughter Jean. Dame Jean Conan Doyle (1912-1997) owned it at her death. Her estate offered it at auction at Christie's London on 19 November 2003 but it went unsold.
Notes: This 17-stanza poem was first published in 1915. See the Christie's 2003 sale page for auction details. (Last updated: 1/25/04).
This cross-reference list is sorted by location (state, city) and is followed by cities outside the United States. Items that are privately held or don't have a recorded location are at the end of this section.
The Newberry Library, Special Collections. Chicago, Illinois.
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections. South Hadley, Massachusetts.
University of Minnesota, The Sherlock Holmes Collections. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections. Hanover, New Hampshire.
The Morgan Library. New York, New York.
New York Public Library, Berg Collection. New York, New York.
Haverford College. Haverford, Pennsylvania.
University of Texas, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. Austin, Texas.
Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library Special Collections. Provo, Utah.
Toronto Reference Library Special Collections. Toronto, Canada.
The National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts Division. Edinburgh, Scotland.
Privately Held
Location Not Recorded
Sherlock Holmes Story Original Manuscripts
The locations/status for all the original Holmes manuscripts is available in the Census Summary of Sherlock Holmes manuscripts
See also Angels of Darkness (above) for a Holmes-related manuscript.
Sherlock Holmes Story Facsimiles of Manuscripts
Many pages of the Sherlock Holmes manuscripts have been reproduced. See my Checklist of Facsimiles of the Sherlock Holmes Stories on this website.
Demakos, Matthew. "The Morgan Library: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Archives." Privately prepared, n.d.
Feldman, Lew David. 1975: Fortieth Anniversary Catalog. New York: House of El Dieff, Inc., 1974. "The Most Valuable Collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Material Ever Offered for Sale," Lot 22.
Goldfarb, Clifford S. The Great Shadow: Arthur Conan Doyle, Brigadier Gerard and Napoleon. Ashcroft, British Columbia: Calabash Press, 1997. Appendix 2 contains information on many of Doyle's works involving Napoleon. Available from Calabash Press.
Green, Richard Lancelyn and John Michael Gibson. A Bibliography of A. Conan Doyle. Rev. ed. New York: Hudson House, 2000.
Pilot, Roy, and Alvin Rodin, ed., The Annotated Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Indianapolis: Wessex Press, 1996. Appendix B includes a description of the materials in the Berg Collection.
Terras, Donald J. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes: Essays and Art on the Doctor and the Detective. Dekalb: Northeastern Illinois University Press, 2003. This book commemorates the establishment of the C. Frederick Kittle Collection of Doyleana at The Newberry Library.
Prior Versions
The date listed with the checklist title applies to the checklist as a whole and should be considered the publication date. Individual entries are updated regularly but are only posted as part of an overall checklist revision. Earlier versions of this checklist were published in 2002. Please note that abbreviated dates are given in the American form of month/day/year.
Acknowledgements
This checklist was inspired by a series of e-mail messages on the Conan Doyle discussion list. I've been helped by the people on that list, library staffers, private collectors and Conan Doyle experts. Special thanks go to Phillip Bergem, Jane Carpenter, Susan Dahlinger, Matthew Demakos, Cliff Goldfarb, Timothy Johnson, Jon Lellenberg, Roy Pilot, Chris Redmond, Christy Richards, Christopher Roden, Steve Rothman, and Richard Sveum
Please send me e-mail if you know of manuscripts or related archival items that are not on this checklist. I keep the identity of private owners anonymous if they request it and would appreciate learning about the manuscript even if you cannot disclose the owner's name.
Additions and corrections are always welcome.
Sherlock Holmes Manuscripts: A Census Summary
News Archive for Conan Doyle Manuscripts
Other Conan Doyle rarities like Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 and Sidney Paget drawings.
Lists of each year's best Sherlock Holmes books & DVDs, the most famous Sherlock Holmes quotes, and more Top 10 Lists.
Return to Manuscripts Home page and Introduction
Vers. 2.0ax-RN Original work
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Randall Stock. All Rights Reserved.