First Three-fer Prize...for the Second Giveaway!

Well, a month has passed and it's time to give away more stuff. Our last winner got her package and a little something extra. I'll put a surprise in with the next shipment, too. This post will give you details about the products, but also to introduce a slight change. See, my old logo featured a Peterson churchwarden pipe, and I would never be able to use it in any official way. (Also, the pipe was a new one, and didn't exist in Holmes's time.) I went online and found a true 19th century clay pipe, and thus changed the logo to be more true to what I do here. The new version is below.

This month's giveaway is for three books. All are books of novels by Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlockian and non-Sherlockian. I have more than enough books about and by ACD, so I hope I can find good homes for the ones I don't need anymore.

So, let's take a look at what's up for grabs.

Here is a series of photos that give ideas about quality. The books aren't perfect. At best they'd be good reading copies, but they don't smell, and have no major problems like loose pages or insect damage. I'll put a word or two of explanation with some of the pictures.

The dust jacket of the Sherlockian (smaller) book has obvious wear. It isn't ripped or damaged in any way, but it has been used and slid between other books many, many times. As you can see in the above picture, the spine is faded. The book is clean on the inside. No writing or the like.

At some point the back bottom got wet, and the color bled some. The book has slight discoloration, but not too bad. The next two photos show the color bleed.

Now, about the two-volume set...
Whoever owned them made sure to notate who read what when. Both have these kinds of writing in them, but there is considerably less in Volume Two.

Each book has a review in it that appears to have been cut out of some magazine or book. They're stapled, but the staples have not stained the book pages.

Each is embossed with this seal showing they are from the collection of Robert Burr - a noted Sherlockian from Ilinois.

The two volume set has beautiful dust jackets. There are a couple of very minor corner bumps, but otherwise they are perfect. The books sat on a shelf near a window for far too long - there is yellowing of the page edges throughout them both. The books aren't damaged in any way, but the sunstaining is very evident.

I know these aren't great finds, but remember that I don't collect for value. Price stickers, writing, folded corners (even though I don't do that), tape marks...all of these things show where a book has been. I love that kind of character. It's fun to try and deduce what those things mean.

If you have any questions, or need different pictures, just let me know. I'll be happy to respond muy rapido.

The trivia question this time is:
Name the two French artists Holmes mentions by name in The Canon - and name the stories.
(Remember to send me your answers on Messenger or by email at historicalsherlock@gmail.com.)

Correct answers are already coming in, so if you're interested get your in now. I charge no shipping, and I get them out soon after the 16th (the date of each drawing). I'll see you for the next blog post, and as always...thanks for reading.