Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Holmes Manuscript on the Block

The BBC reports that a manuscript copy of the Sherlock Holmes tale "The Adventure of the Three Gables" will be sold at Sotheby's on 21 June. Presale estimates are $350,000 to $500,000.

Marsha Malinowski of Sotheby's told the BBC "Conan Doyle had extraordinarily clear and beautiful writing. He was the sort of writer who would not put pen to paper until he had thought out clearly what he wanted to write. So, although there are more than 100 amendments, they are usually minor changes such as clarification or emphasis."

The report adds that the copy, bound in vellum, "
was once owned by the Marquis of Donegall and has been in a private collection since the 1970s."

Well I guess there's always a chance I'll win the lotto before then ... right?