Sherlock Holmes

Does anyone know if the Heritage Press editions of the Sherlock Holmes series is letter press? Also, what are the differences between the LEC and HP editions (other than the LEC editions were split into multiple books per set)? It appears the LEC editions used a selection of illustrations from the original publications in The Strand and Colliers, and thus are not signed by an illustrator. From pictures I've looked at on e-bay, I can't really see what the differences are between the HP and LEC versions (again other than the HP set is three volumes total, and the LEC set is 8??).

The LEC Sherlock Holmes editions are much nicer than those of the HP. To start with, the LEC books all have a cameo portrait of Holmes embossed on the front cover. The LECs are printed letter press while the HP ones are not. Also, the illustrations are sharper and much better presented than the HP ones.

The LEC editions are for the collector who wishes the quality of an LEC tribute to Holmes. Unless you are going to seriously colllect LECs, I would not try for the LECs. The LECs were published in different years as three volumes, three volumes, and two volumes for a total of eight volumes in three slipcases. Fine copies can be expensive. I paid around $600 for a complete set. As a collector of LECs this was a significant acquisition for me since it was an acquisition which was needed to start rounding out my final LEC purchases.

I had the HP, but I sold them some time ago. They are relatively hard to find also, as were my LECs. It took me several years to find LECs in Fine condition. I don't remember how many volumes were in the HP edition. For more information on these, ask Django, the HP expert.

The set I would get, if I were you, is the Easton Press reprint in the 150-year anniversery edition. I had this one also, but I sold it recently. It is in three volumes with a distinctive binding design for each volume. I readily received my asking price of $150. Other anniversery editions are available on ebay from time to time.

> 2
Has the world turned upside down? Is Don actually recommending an EP set over an LEC edition? I'm in shock. And yes, I read the post carefully and realize you are simply recommending EP as an alternative for someone (as most would be) unwilling to shell out the considerable sum required to obtain the LEC set in fine quality. I agree these are rare and very expensive when they do show up. Also with the multi-volume sets published in separate years, it will be hard to find ones with uniform spine coloring. Perhaps it is just my own OCD but it bothers me not to have matching spine colors in sets that are supposed to be together. Inexplicably, the Franklin Library did this with many of the multi-volume sets from the 25th Anniversary of the Great Books of the Western World series. The 7-volume Shakespeare, 6-volume Gibbon, the 4-volume Aristotle, and the 3-volume Plato immediately come to mind as being issued over multiple years. None of these have uniform spine leather color even when the sets were purchased in fine condition. In fact, I have never seen the Shakespeare set with exactly the same color bindings. It annoys me when I see it on the shelf.

>2 leccol: I already have the EP set you mention. They are just a reprint of the HP set, which is also three volumes. The HP set also has a cameo of Holmes embossed on the cover. In fact, if you look at pictures of the LEC versions and the HP versions, they look nearly identical on the outside. The HP versions are readily available on e-bay and Abe at prices lower than what the EP books would cost, so I would not recommend anyone buy the EP books over the HP books. I'm also surprised you have that opinion. I'm also surprised the LEC illustrations would be better than the HP illustrations. I've found that not to be the case on other LEC/HP books, especially ones that are reproducing illustrations rather than using original illustrations. Can anyone else offer a direct comparison? The LEC and HP editions were published in the same years (1950 and 1952), and presumably at the same time, so I'm curious why the quality of the illustrations should be so different, if they actually are.

From your numerous posts on the forum, I realize you are only interested in LECs in Fine condition. Not everyone has the same collecting philosophy, especially those (like me) who are buying the books to actually read them. I always find it interesting that you discourage people from buying LEC editions unless "you are going to seriously colllect LECs". I don't know what that means, and I think it is very misleading to those newer to "collecting" or buying LECs to enjoy them for what they are. It certainly misled me early in my LEC/HP collecting, when I was still learning about the work of George Macy. I initially had the impression from your posts that I would never be able to buy any LECs in VG or better condition. Happily, I have found that not to be true on my own.
In my opinion, better to by a VG LEC or HP instead of a Fine EP. The reading experience will be much more enjoyable. However, if you just want to look at the covers on the shelf, a Fine EP edition may be better for that purpose. However, your goal may be to discourage people from purchasing LECs in the hope of keeping prices down. I don't know.

If I can jump in here, I think that everything else being equal, a fine/mint volume is of course preferable. However, if you are tighter on cash, or if (like me) your goal could be more accurately described as building a library than being a high end collector, and you'd rather have several very good/near fine LECs to one fine volume, I'd absolutely encourage you not to worry quite so much about condition.

In Don's defense, if I had the cash I'd probably be a lot pickier about condition, and I'm pretty sure he reads his LEC's often.

I will be doing a post on the two Sherlock HP's I have as my next post (likely in February...unless I get too busy with school), for those curious how the HP titles hold up. I like them a lot, myself, and they do have an embossed portrait of Holmes on the front cover as well. I imagine they are not quite as nice as the LEC volumes, but I find them quite serviceable (although they are a little large, since they shoved two to three books into one volume for these).

>5 aaronpepperdine: "In Don's defense, if I had the cash I'd probably be a lot pickier about condition, and I'm pretty sure he reads his LEC's often."

I agree, my point is everyone has different buying goals for his/her situation; however, I often find Don's comments to be blanket to anyone - you can't afford LECS. Maybe I'm reading his posts wrong? Not really trying to criticize, just want to encourage others that many LECs can be bought and enjoyed at reasonable prices (no more expensive than EP or FS books).

I'm much more likely to ready & enjoy a fine book that I'm not worried about diminishing the value just by reading it! If I recall right, comments have been made about only reading a Fine LEC with gloves on and never around food. Sorry, but that would not be enjoyable for me. I never wear gloves and often enjoy a cup of tea with my book in front of a fire! Again, just a difference in buying/collecting philosophy. Maybe that's the difference. I'm not a "collector" as Don would probably see it. I'm buying them to read and enjoy them how I enjoy any good book.

I don't have either the LEC or Heritage Press Holmes books--I bought The Annotated Sherlock Holmes (Clarkson Potter) when I was an undergraduate and it has never left my library. I saw the LEC editions when I was selling my relative's collection and it was, of course, very desirable but more expensive than I could afford. I have never actually had my hands on the Heritage editions, but I've seen pictures and the binding, as others have mentioned, looks very similar.

I purchased a thick folder of loose Sandglasses some while back, and among them is the Sandglass for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and in it it states that the HP edition was printed offset from "pulls" off the pages of the LEC version (which was printed by Peter Beilenson of the Walpole Press and Peter Pauper Press). I suspect both the other HP Holmes were printed likewise.

Don is quite right in saying the HP editions (especially the first issued ones) are difficult to find in Fine condition and are usually expensive. And Jerry is right in saying that the principal drawback in the HP editions is that the books are rather heavy, combining the smaller Dwiggins-designed volumes into a single volume.

Buy and read what you want. I sold my HP Holmes so long ago that I can't remember if the covers had the embossed cameo or not. I will yield to you that the HPs were embossed, although I didn't think they were.

You sounded as if you were asking advice on which Holmes to buy. Now you sound as if you have the HP books and want to be reassured you were right in purchasing them. If one had none of the Holmes books, I would recommend the Easton set if it was the anniversery edition. I said nothing about the LEC Holmes other than they are expensive for a collector not going to acquire some of the other LEC editions which are comparable in price or quality.

As for your other comments, they are way off base. I have never talked about wearing gloves or avoiding eating while reading LECs. If I ever made any spurious comments like this, it was done tongue in cheek, not as a recommendation. I never disparage HP editions. I just don't collect them myself.

Discouraging others from buying LECs is a ludicrous concept. I am approaching 550 LECs and there are not many more I want in my collection.

I love the Sherlock Holmes editions. I only collect Fine or better editions, but I don't recommend this for everybody. I would recommend the Easton anniversery edition for anyone not having the HPs or LECs since finding these in Fine condition is a relatively hard task.

You seem to take umbrage at my suggestions, but why criticize an innoocuous post. You are perfectly at liberty to buy a tattered HP or LEC set, to eat or drink while reading them, to hold the books in food stained hands if you wish, and to singe the books in your smoky fireplace as you desire. And since I have acquired the LEC set, I have read all the front matter in each volume and every story. Also I have watched the over 40 tv adaptations made by Jeremy Brett, an actor who seems to personify Holmes as Conan Doyle meant him to be. I do read my LECs as frequently as I can.

>8 Django6924: Thanks for the info on the HP editions, that is helpful.

>9 leccol: I have the EP editions, which are reprints of the HP editions. I received Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the 100 greatest series in the mid 1990s and has the spyglass motif. I received the Later Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the "Famous Editions" series sometime in the late 1990s. It has the detective hat motif. At some later point EP came out with the Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with a pipe motif on the covers. I had wanted to get this third volume from EP, but never did. About a year ago I purchased this last volume second hand. I think shortly after the Final Adventures came out EP changed all the covers to a single, generic design and offered them as a set. I assume by "anniversary set" you mean the books with different covers, not the one they are currently selling with the same covers. I didn't know that they came as a set, since I did not buy them that way.

I do not own the HP version of this set. My original question was how the HP and LEC versions compare other than the obvious difference in number of volumes. From pictures I have seen, the covers look identical, so I'm curious about the interiors.

EP is currently selling a "Deluxe Limited Edition" (DLE) of the Hound of the Baskervilles, $267. I have not bought any EP books for a number of years, but this one intrigued me, being a Sherlock fan. It has original, new illustrations and is singed by the artist. The exterior, slipcase, and illustrations look wonderful in EP's promotional pictures. However, the key question is the quality of the interior: paper and printing. Then I started thinking about the HP or LEC titles one could buy with $267. I also looked at the EP edition of the Later Adventures. There is just such a striking difference between the quality of the EP printing and the LEC letterpress. So, it got me investigating the LEC and HP editions of the Sherlock series, and hence to the question I originally posed.

I know it is unlikely anyone here has both the HP and LEC editions, but I'd love to hear any direct comparisons of the text and/or illustrations. I'd also love to hear any advice on the EP DLE of the Hound of the Baskervilles. :)

Richard de Bury, a 14thC Prince-Bishop of Durham, would have aligned himself with the kid glove approach to handling fine or scarce books (in his day these would have been bound manuscript volumes). parchment- recently commended his marvellous Philobiblon during the A long, long war discussion. It's the work of a man who was both a practical librarian and someone who revered books (two attributes that do not always go together: there are librarians who hate books). There is a severe and anguished assault on any who treat books carelessly in one of his chapters (here loosely modernised), his especial target being 'the student tribe', most of whom have been so badly brought up they are perpetually puerile: petulant, puffed up with presumption, and pontificating on everything with the unshakeable certainty of ignorance. Their long-suffering teachers have to hammer even the simplest rules into their heads, such as the proper way to open a book (slowly and don't flatten it out on the desk with an enthusiastic bang) and close it after use (first make sure you've left nothing between the pages).
And as for cleanliness, it definitely came next to godliness for the bishop:
Look at that youth lazily lounging over his studies. It's winter, the library is freezing and his nose is dripping. Does he think of wiping it with his handkerchief? Has he even noticed the glistening stalagmite of snot rising up from the page he's supposed to be reading? No. ...And when he finally gets round to serious study, he'll fix the meaning of a paragraph in his mind by slowly sliding his finger over the words: a stinking, unwashed finger whose nail, like all his nails, is clogged with a sticky black substance whose source...well, it's better not to go up there... He'll even scoop up some straw from the floor and insert a stalk here and there between the pages as bookmarks. You can be sure he'll leave them in place when he puts the volume away, and since a book cannot digest straw they'll stay there, distending the pages, until they finally decay...
If we stay to midday we shall see him chattering with his friends, leaning over his open book as he cheerfully waves his ale-cup about between mouthfuls of dry cheese and stale bread; then he sweeps the crumbs inwards to where the pages meet so that he can lick them up with one swoop of his tongue along the gutter...
De Bury finds students in summer just as bad, using their wet and sweaty hands to press flowers between the pages for their lady-loves, handling white vellum bindings with grubby gloves, and when they're bitten by a flea hurling the book into a corner where it lies half-open for a month gathering dust. Equally abhorrent are book-mutilators, dog-earers, marginal doodlers, 'the smutty scullion stinking of stew-pots' and other illiterates who have no idea which way up a book goes, crying children (who will will poke a damp finger into the illuminated capitals since 'a child instantly touches whatever he sees'), and clerics who suffer from the itch and pimples (most of them, apparently).
This is only one chapter out of 20; the greatest part of Philobiblon is an affirmation of the importance, joy and rewards of owning and reading books and sharing them (with the right people!). In three chapters he even gives a voice to books themselves. It's a wise and memorable read.

De Bury died, aged 58, just after completing Philobiblon; except for his bishopric, he had relinquished all his public offices three years before to devote his time and money to collecting books: ...wherever he was residing, so many books lay about his bed-chamber, that it was hardly possible to stand or move without treading upon them.
One of us, really, so it's no surprise to learn that he died a near pauper!

Has anyone seen the Folio Society complete Sherlock Holmes? It's OOP but I believe has 9 volumes in two slipcases and nice spine art.

> 12
Only on eBay and it seems to command quite high prices. I am not sure if it is illustrated, or what the pictures look like.

> 12. I had it in the 1990's. One of their better efforts. The silhouettes on the spines continued on the rear and front covers.

>13 UK_History_Fan: Just checked my Folio 50 and see that it was published in '93 and '94. Illustrated by Francis Mosley with covers by David Eccles.

>14 parchment-: Why did you get rid of the set? Did you replace it with the LEC?

>10 eastonlionel:

Eastonlionel, I've seen that announcement for the EP DLE of "Hound" and thought the illustrations were striking, and I'm certain the paper and printing are typical for EP. As a less expensive alternative, you might want to look at the 1987 FOLIO Society Hound, which was printed letterpress (Baskerville font, of course), and has linocuts by Edward Bawden, who illustrated a few LEC publications.

15> Ken, I obviously don't know what parchment's reason was for getting rid of his set, but I gave mine away three or four years ago when I was pushed for space and something had to go. It wasn't too hard a choice. Although the 'progressive' spines are very effective, especially when the nine books are together on the shelf, I found Francis Mosley's illustrations so insipid they detracted rather than added to the stories' atmosphere.

I must admit that seeing what the sets are being offered for now I have a twinge of regret. On the other hand as I acquired them as a p&p-only renewal of membership offer I can hardly complain!

David Eccles had used the same moving silhouette device on the FS complete Raymond Chandler novels in 1989.

>16 Django6924: Thanks Django for the tip. I will definitely look for that.

As with all EP offerings, they are portrayed so beautifully and are very tantalizing to the bibliophile. And then there's those "three easy payments..." But... one has to always remember they never say much if anything about the quality of the text. Sometimes it's well done. Sometimes it's disappointing.

>17 featherwate: "David Eccles had used the same moving silhouette device on the FS complete Raymond Chandler novels in 1989"

Most effectively. And Geoff Grandfield's illustrations are anything but insipid! If only the Arion Press had used him for their edition of The Big Sleep it would have been a must-have.

I had read all of Chandler's novels before purchasing the FS edition Django mentioned above. Rereading the FS edition of Chandler's novels was a treat. Since I had now read them all for a second time, I sold the FS books in my paring down attempt.

I absolutely agree with Django that the Arion Press edition of The Big Sleep was an utter failure, at least for Chandler afficianados.

As I have said elsewhere, Hoyem (sp?), in his effort to do all internally, is missing an important person: an art director. The model Hoyem used didn't have to look like Bogart, but he shouldn't have looked robust and healthy as Hoyem's did. He should have looked emaciated and have had the look of one who drank too much and smoked excessively. Philip Marlowe ran a not too successful one-man detective agency, and who kept an office bottle in reserve. Bogart was perfect for the Marlowe role since he smoked and drank too much in real life before expiring in his 50s.

>19 Django6924: The Marlowe set had an odd printing history. According to Folio 60 It was first issued early in 1989 with the David Eccles bindings but no illustrations other than a frontispiece for each volume drawn by the versatile Sue Bradbury (was there any aspect of the Society's business she couldn't turn her hand to?). This edition went into a second impression the same year. Eleven years later, in 2000, it had a third printing, for which Sue Bradbury's frontispieces were dropped and Geoff Grandfield not only provided between six and nine full-page illustrations for each volume but redrew the binding "re-interpreting Eccles's original design".
The oddity lies in the original issue having no illustrations, given that claiming to seek to enhance every text with the right visuals has always been one of the Society's main marketing strategies. The only unillustrated or frontispiece-only books I can recall their issuing within their normal annual programmes were the 1952 calligraphic Book of Psalms and some of the early series of Folio Poets. I am sure there were others but a picture-less Philip Marlowe seems an aberration (unless it was intended as a tribute to the vividness of Chandler's writing!). It makes me wonder if they had commissioned an illustrator but something had gone awry and Bradbury had stepped in at a late stage. She designed half-a dozen or so binding cloths, but this seems to be the only time she acted as an illustrator.

I share your admiration for Grandfield's work. He also illustrated the Society's two six-volume collections of Graham Greene (and designed their neat spines), and in complete contrast to these monochrome works produced a dazzling set of bright, dramatic covers for a mid-2000s Penguin Classics Greene set.

Geoff Grandfield gives a good idea of his versatility.

I also had the blue Graham Greene Entertainments which I relished, but they were sold in my paring down. They contained such classics as Stamboul Train and This Gun for Sale (Hire in America; who can forget the movie starring Alan Ladd as the killer named Raven). I wish they had made a boxed set of the Eric Ambler novels also. I believe they did publish A Coffin for Dimitrious which I have read at least six times. The film again paired Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. I shudder when I think that these great film noir movies may be lost for all time or at least difficult to find. Probably because there is no interest in them by today's movie goers who need car crashes and video game scenarios.

Don, the filmed version of A Coffin for Dimitrios was made as The Mask of Dimitrios and is easily available from Amazon.com. Background to Danger, with Greenstreet and Lorre and George Raft, is also available in a remastered version from Amazon--"on demand," which conjures up some strange images of a guy with Toast on his computer cranking out single copies! Journey into Fear, alas, is only available as a Region 2 DVD, which means you can't play it on US DVD players, and you need to reauthorize your computer to play Region 2 DVDs rather than our US Standard. I'm not sure why this film isn't available--it used to show up on TCM, and may be on TCM On Demand, where there are some video clips you can watch. Since it features Orson Welles and most of the Mercury Players, I doubt there is any chance of it being lost, but it is probably tied up in a rights issue, as are many of Welles' films.

Folio Society also issued Ambler's Epitaph for a Spy, which was adapted into a British film a year after "The Mask of Dimitios" was made, and stars the very young James Mason and Herbert Lom. I haven't ever seen this and doubt it is out on DVD in the US--though I'm sure it is in the UK given the stars.

>15 kdweber:. I got rid of most of my Folio books, simply because my love-hate relationship with the Folio Society gradually ran out of love. I guess I'm spoiled by good typography, letterpress and high production quality. Reading FS books felt like reading something I had printed out on my laser printer. I seldom like their choice of illustrations, and the bindings themselves, almost all exactly 10" high made the bookshelves looking like multi-coloured brick walls.

I have a handful of FS books that I like: History of Western Philosophy (good offset typography on almost yellow paper, that doesn't look like xerox printing), Three Kingdoms, Pliny's Natural History, Great Philosophers of the Ancient World and Sun Tzu - The Art of War (which would have been a great production if they for some strange reason hadn't thrown in a bundle of "plates" with photos of bronze knives and similar - like illustrating Plato with photos of excavated pottery!)

>21 featherwate:. History of Western Philosophy and Great Philosophers of the Ancient World have only frontispieces, no other illustrations. I don't know if they were included in the normal program or not.

Parchment, I can understand your feelings about FS when they are compared with Fine Press editions, but they do publish many books which are worthwhile reading. In single volumes, there are Black Mischief, the Prime of Miss Jean Brody, The Name of the Rose, Tales of the Unexpected, The Horse's Mouth, A Coffin for Dimitrious, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (plus the two other novels in the Karla trilogy by John Le Carre), and several more.

In their multi-volume collection, a few titles of interest include The Entertainments of Graham Greene, The Novels of Raymond Chandler, The Bertie and Jeeves novels, The Novels of Henry Fielding (while Tom Jones and Jonathon Wild are available in LEC, Amelia and Joseph Andrews are not). All of the preceding should be of high interest to the discerning reader.

Other mult-volume works which are indeed classics include Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, Clarissa, the complete novels of Joseph Conrad, and many complere oevre editions of other Victorian authors.

My major complaint with the Folio Society is that they are overpriced so you almost have to buy them used or at least on the resale market. What you say in your post is true, but the aforementioned books are difficult to find from any publisher other than the FS, and they certainly should be investigated and read by the avid reader.

> 25. My father passed away day before yesterday at age 93, so I will have to postpone my answer and also be absent from this forum for a while.

Parchment:

My condolences to you and your family.

If I may resurrect this thread: The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals just handed down a decision on a copyright dispute between the Doyle estate and someone who wished to publish Sherlock fan fiction. The Court's opinion (written by Richard Posner, who is always excellent) is both fascinating and amusing.

http://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/rssExec.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2014/D...

Ugg, too tired, too many pages. Can someone please state whether the Sherlock Holmes 'fan fiction' is legal and may be sold on Amazon.

>29 sdawson:

Short version: Yes.

Slightly longer version: Yes, but original ideas that appear only in the ten or so works that are still under copyright may NOT be used (e.g. plot devices used in those 10 stories, villains that appear only in those stories, etc.). Other than that, it's fair game.

>30 scholasticus:

Much obliged Scholasticus.

A degenerate gambler and a doofus haggle over the complete set:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbh9_ORfQM

Wow, this seems way overvalued.

I bought my set recently, in a condition not much worse than that (including the MLs as well) for 400 dollars.

>33 klamerin: Yes. The book expert on that show is usually on the money. Maybe they were hyping it up for TV.