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The Best of Sherlock Holmes

 

Sherlock Holmes and "The Three Gables" Manuscript:
Sotheby's 2007 Sale Information

 

Sotheby's offered a Conan Doyle original autograph manuscript for a Sherlock Holmes story and a copy of Beeton's Christmas Annual on 21 June 2007.  The manuscript for "The Adventure of the Three Gables" has been held by the same family since the 1970s.  Beeton's included the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in print and its sale set a new auction record.  Both rarities come from the same collection.

 

 

Sale Results

 

Sotheby's held the sale in New York City on 21 June 2007.  The owner, a lady, put up two Sherlockian lots for sale.

 

Lot 105, Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887, set a new auction record for that magazine and sold for $156,000.  The hammer price was $130,000 and the 20% buyer's premium brought the total to $156,000.   That beat the previous record of $153,600 set in an auction at Sotheby's in December 2004.  The 2004 record was said to make Beeton's the most expensive magazine in the world, and this new sale reinforces that position.

 

The manuscript for "The Adventure of the Three Gables" (Lot 104) went unsold.

 

The Sotheby's website includes a summary of prices realized (free registration required) for all lots in this sale (21 June 2007 Sale number N08330).  Their online catalogue also includes the price realized in the detailed entry for each lot.  See below for more information on accessing their online catalogue.

 

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Three Gables Manuscript and Lot Descriptions

 

Lot 104: "The Adventure of the Three Gables" manuscript

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the original manuscript of "The Three Gables" in ink on 31 ruled pages (rectos only) that are 8 x 6 1/4 inches.  It is signed at end as "A Conan Doyle | Crowborough" and contains more than 100 corrections, additions and deletions – some in darker ink or in pencil.  It was bound for the author in vellum and titled in gilt on the upper cover as "The | Adventure | of the | Three Gables || A Sherlock Holmes Story."

 

Although the date of writing is not listed on the manuscript, it was written circa 1926 and first published in September 1926.  This story was later collected in The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes.  The Marquis of Donegall once owned the manuscript.  It is estimated to sell at US$350,000-$500,000.

 

The online catalogue contains three photos of the manuscript, including the first page, an interior page, and the last page.  When you click an image it displays in a new browser window, and allows you to zoom in to see details.

 

Sotheby's April - June Sale Schedule press release includes a small photo of the first page of the manuscript (PDF).  Registration is not required to view this.

 

View Sotheby's online entry for Lot 104 (registration required) or see the general Online Catalogue instructions below.

 

 

Lot 105: Beeton’s Christmas Annual 1887

Sherlock Holmes first appeared in the story A Study in Scarlet in Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887.  This is a complete copy with repairs to the margins of the frontispiece and a few preliminary advertisements.  Parts of the original color wrappers have been restored and the entire spine is in facsimile.

 

The Sixth Marquis of Donegall once owned this copy and his bookplate appears on the chemise. 

 

There are 28 confirmed copies of this magazine in existence but only 9 are still in private hands.  This is copy R22 as noted in the census for Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887.  It is estimated to sell at US$75,000-$125,000.

 

The online catalogue has a photo of the cover.  When you click the image it displays in a new browser window, and allows you to zoom in to see details.

 

View Sotheby's online entry for Lot 105 (registration required) or see the general Online Catalogue instructions below.

 

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Sotheby's Online Catalogue

 

Sotheby's provides an online catalogue for this sale (N08330) with detailed descriptions and photos of each lot.

 

Registration (free) is required to access the online catalogue.  If you do not already have a Sotheby's ID and password, it may be simplest to go to their home page, sign-up, and then use the Lot search function for "Conan Doyle."

 

To see the Conan Doyle lots, use the links above in the Description section.

 

To see the full Sotheby's online catalogue, go to the Sotheby's home page at <http://www.sothebys.com/> and click the "Explore Auctions" menu item to see the "Auction Calendar" page.  This lets you browse through upcoming auctions.  You can also then enter "N08330" in the "Event Finder" search box to locate this specific auction, and click the Browse Catalog choice to view it.

 

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Printed Catalogue Information

 

The printed catalogue has three large color photos of the manuscript (Lot 104):

 

It also contains a 6.75 x 4.5 inch color photo of the Beeton's cover (Lot 105) on page 167.

 

The printed catalogue is available, costs US$55 or £28, and can be purchased by:

 

Ask for Publication (Sale) Code N08330, Fine Books and Manuscripts Including Americana, for the 21 June 2007 Sotheby's New York sale.

 

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Sale Information

 

This is Sale Number N08330 (code 8330 VOLEUR) for Fine Books and Manuscripts Including Americana.  It will be held at Sotheby's New York on Thursday 21 June 2007, starting at 10:00 AM with a second session at 2:00 PM.

 

Sotheby's New York

1334 York Avenue (at 72nd St)

New York, New York 10021

Tel: (212) 606-7000

 

The manuscript and Beeton's will probably be on display at the pre-sale viewing on:

Friday June 15, 10am-5pm

Saturday June 16, 10am-5pm

Sunday June 17, 1pm-5pm

Monday June 18, 10am-5pm

Tuesday June 19, 10am-1pm

Wednesday June 20, 10am-1pm

 

Note that the April – June 2007 Sale Schedule Press Release (PDF) lists the sale date as June 22 but the event details for the site gives the sale date as June 21 and I confirmed this with Sotheby's.

 

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News articles about the sale and manuscript

 

Thanks to Peter Blau and John Genova for their contributions.

 

 

Related Pages

 

Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887 Checklist

 

Return to Manuscripts Home page and Introduction

 

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