A Study in Scarlet: 100th Anniversary Collection

This is a lovely edition of this book from Sea Wolf Press. It is hard to find illustrated versions of the first two Sherlock Holmes stories, A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of The Four, as they were not published in the famous The Strand magazine whose illustrations helped create the legend of Sherlock Holmes. However, this volume sports the authentic cover design of Beeton's Christmas Annual (1887) where A Study in Scarlet, and Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, was first unleashed unto the world. It also contains 42 original good quality illustrations by George Hutchinson from an 1891 publication of the story. A little gem of a book.

These Seawolf Press publications of the Sherlock Holmes stories are such a joyful reading experience. For me, my definitive copy of a Sherlock Holmes canon story collection would have: 1. All 60 stories in matching volumes. Check! 2. Original illustrations. Check! 3. Hardcover since these are classics that I will want to re-read. Check! 4. Have the stories divided among several smaller volumes so they are easy to hold and read. Check! Seawolf Press gives us a taste of the experience of reading the stories in the early editions balanced with modern sensibilities. The covers have facsimiles of early editions on the covers, giving a sense of nostalgia. The fonts are those that were in use during the time of original publication, but are easy to read. Each of the 4 novels is its own volume. Each of the 5 collections of short stories merits its own binding. I searched through Amazon and a certain other large book retailer and found that the other editions either lacked original (or any) illustrations, were missing stories, or were heavy, cumbersome tomes that would cause injury should I be reading them laying down, doze off, and drop them on my face. Given that the Holmes stories are public domain, there are numerous prints/versions/editions and this was the only set that met all my criteria. Are these leather-bound editions with gilt edges and a ribbon bookmark? No! Do they trace their pedigree to Otto Penzler's collection of rare first editions? Not even close. These books are case-laminated so I don't have to worry about ripping dustjackets or getting any fingerprints or stains on cloth covers. For me these are attractive, user-friendly editions meant to give joy in reading the content, not for eliciting envy for an antique collectible (at least not yet). All for less than the cost of a contemporary trade paperback! Buying tip: On Amazon you have to search through the formats as for some of the volumes the website's hardcopy default is to direct you to another (less cool) edition. As I write this I was able to find all 9 Seawolf hardback volumes on Amazon.

good packing. on time delivery. illustrated version as in the original publication! ( not by Sidney Paget)

Bon livre.

El libro llegó en muy buenas condiciones, los únicos detalles fueron que las imágenes no son de la calidad que esperaba (están un tanto borrosas) y la biografía del autor trae datos diferentes en la parte trasera del libro y en la parte interna, en una dice que el autor nació en Escocia y en otra dice que en Inglaterra. Pero fuera de eso creo que es un gran libro.