The Rosenbach is committed to the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective, Sherlock Holmes

As our Sherlock Monthly Biblioventures audience knows, the Rosenbach is committed to the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective, Sherlock Holmes. Our collection contains Sherlockian first editions and even the manuscript of a significant Holmes story, “The Empty House” [EL4 .D754e 903 MS]. Another key work now added to the collection is the first printing of the second story to feature Holmes and Watson, the novel The Sign of the Four, first published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in Philadelphia and London in February 1890. 

The Rosenbach’s copy of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, no. 266 (Feb. 1890), featuring The Sign of the Four. Museum purchase through the generous support of an anonymous donor with ties to The Rosenbach and The J.B. Lippincott Company. [EL4 D754si 890a].

In 1889, J.M. Stoddart, editor of Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, was looking for a few good authors and thought some British (or Irish or Scottish) authors would help boost circulation, so he travelled from Philadelphia to London and invited three people to dinner at the Langham Hotel: Thomas Gill, Oscar Wilde, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Of these three, Doyle was the least famous. Wilde was a celebrity, known for his flamboyant appearance, brilliant speaking engagements, and provocative journalism, but he had published very little fiction. Gill was a well-known journalist and member of the Irish Parliament. 

And then there was Doyle, who had published a few dozen stories in British magazines, including a mystery novella called A Study in Scarlet with a detective named Sherlock Holmes, and most recently, a historical novel, Micah Clarke, which had received some good reviews. Doyle was not yet a full-time author; he had a medical practice with very few patients. Stoddart saw promise in the 30-year-old author, and Doyle was keen for the chance to expand his readership in the American magazine market.  

All of Stoddart’s guests committed to contributing to the magazine. Gill didn’t submit a piece for another couple of years, and then it was just a short description of the famous horse racing event in England, “Derby Day on Clapham Common.” Wilde wrote the now-classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which thrilled and scandalized readers. (You can read about our recently acquired first edition of Dorian Gray on our blog.)  And Doyle took a mystery story idea he had been working on and decided to bring back that Sherlock Holmes character from A Study in Scarlet. The detective’s first story hadn’t caused much buzz, but the character was such a good one, he thought, “why not try him again?” And so, Sherlock and his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, were reintroduced to readers in the short novel, The Sign of the Four.

The Rosenbach’s copies of The Sign of [the] Four: first book-edition now joined by the Lippincott edition.

Later published as The Sign of Four, without the second article, the adventure has some surprising elements for readers new to Sherlockian adventures. The story opens with Sherlock injecting himself with cocaine to alleviate the boredom of a slow time for casework; then a pretty young woman, Mary Morstan, arrives with a singular case. Years before, her father returned home from military service in India, only to immediately disappear. Mary has since been anonymously receiving a valuable pearl once a year and now has received a mysterious message stating she is a “wronged woman and shall have justice.” Holmes can’t resist investigating, puts down the syringe, and he and Watson are off in search of the Great Agra Treasure. It’s still a thrilling read, and the newly acquired Lippincott’s edition is a great way to experience how Doyle’s first readers encountered Sherlock Holmes. 

Interested in learning more about our Sherlockian holdings? Our collections are available for all to experience, study, and enjoy. You can make a collections inquiry by visiting our website, and you can visit our Reading Room by making an appointment here.  

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