Synopses & Reviews
This volume presents a new aspect in the study of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: a case study of the publishing history of his works. Since Doyle's works before 1890 could not be copyrighted in the United States, various unauthorized versions of Holmes stories appeared in print in America from 1890 through 1930. Picking up where other bibliographers left off, Redmond traces the origins and subsequent printings and reprintings of these pirated manuscripts, relating the American editions to their sources and to each other. The American issues are described in detail, with defects and inconsistencies clearly documented.
More than just a list of editions, this book is a detective story in the history of Sherlock Holmes. The author provides extensive descriptive lists of the American editions of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four, raising such questions as who pirated from whom and why textual mistakes have lasted for ninety years. The study looks at the copyright background that enabled piracy to occur, the printing processes that corrupted the text, some of the firms involved in this piracy, and the various issues of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four and the relationships among them. Also included is a genealogical tree that traces the editions of these novels and detailed examples of their textual variations. The work provides a further inquiry into the history of Sherlock Holmes, as well as serving as a fascinating study of American publishing at the turn of the century. It will be an invaluable publication for collectors of Holmes material and students of publishing history, and an important addition to academic and public libraries.
Synopsis
This study focuses on the publishing history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, tracing the story of the first two Holmes novels, which were widely pirated in the U.S. from 1890-1930. The book details the background that enabled piracy to occur and provides extensive descriptive lists of the various issues of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four. The American issues are described in detail, with defects and inconsistencies clearly documented. Also included is a genealogical tree that traces the editions of these novels and thorough examples of their textual variations.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-247) and index.
About the Author
DONALD A. REDMOND is a retired Technical and University Librarian with an interest in the work and publishing history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Table of Contents
Preface
Prologue
American Copyright Before 1891: Caveat Auctor
American Readers, British Authors: Piracy No Crime
Conan Doyle Comes to America: Pirates in the Poop-Deck
Textual Variation: Its Significance in The Sign of [The?] Four
Genealogy of American Editions: A Brief History of Piracy
Text as Treasure Trove: Piracy and Reform Figures
Bibliographical Description of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four
The Sign of the Four: American Editions 1890-1930: Descriptive List
A Study in Scarlet: American Editions 1890-1930: Descriptive List
Appendix: Sherlock Comes to America by Jay Finley Christ
Index