The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

London

George Newnes

October 14, 1892

First edition, in dust jacket

Marked by tantalizing mystery for much of its past and by shocking crime in more recent times, this volume is the only known copy in dust jacket of the first edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. For nearly a century, it was uncertain whether it had been published in a dust jacket. After this copy surfaced 40 years ago, its history took a brief but gruesome turn when its owner was not only the most notorious literary forger of the 20th century but also a murderer. His name is Mark Hofmann, and he is jailed for life for the bombing deaths of two people in 1985. I acquired the book when Hofmann’s children’s literature collection was sold in order to provide restitution to his defrauded customers and creditors.