A Study In Scarlet Doyle, Arthur Conan Genre Fiction

Early US piracy of the novel that introduced Sherlock Holmes to the world. This novel features the famous first meeting of Holmes and his chronicler John Watson, when Holmes remarks after only a greeting and a handshake, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive." Doyle first began writing stories to pass the time while waiting on appointments for his budding optometrist business. Drawing inspiration from Joseph Bell, one of his professors at the University of Edinburgh's medical school, Doyle created a difficult genius whose deductive reasoning skills could solve crimes that remained mysterious to the officers of the Scotland Yard. First published in the ephemeral 1887 Beeton's Christmas Annual, this extravagant story of Mormon polygamy, terror, and chase is now nearly unobtainable in its original form in wrappers. Doyle had attempted to kill of his detective in the December 1893 short story "The Final Problem"; this piracy was issued soon after, when Holmes was still "dead." Notwithstanding the publication of HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES in 1902 (which takes place earlier in Holmes's career), he would not be officially resurrected until the 1905 "Adventure of the Empty House." 7'' x 4.5''. Original typographic wrappers, No. 14 of Munro's Library of Popular Novels, cover price 25 cents. 177, [1] pages. Wrappers with some chipping to edges and spine ends, light soil, medium closed tears to front joint. Leaves toned and brittle, with some attendant edgewear and a bump to lower corner.