Beschreibung:

DOYLE, Sir Arthur Conan (1859-1930). The Sign of Four; or, The Problem of the Sholtos. Philadelphia: Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine [#266], [J. B. Lippincott Company], February, 1890. 8vo. The Sign of Four illustrated with a frontispiece by “H. D.” [145]-308 (The Sign of Four runs from pp. 145-223), i-viii [“With the Wits”]. pp. With 24 pp. of ads (dated “February, 1890”, pp. 1-24) inserted at front, and 28 pp. of ads (pp. 25-52) inserted at rear. Publisher’s printed wrappers (wrappers toned, worn, with numerous marginal tears, light chips, wrappers with tears at joints, lower 2 ¼” missing from spine (issue number lacking), spine chipped, worn, occasional thumboiling, minor marginal wear to text). A very good example of this rarity, housed in burgundy cloth clamshell box (box worn, soiled). TRUE FIRST APPEARANCE IN PRINT OF THE SECOND SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY, AMERICAN ISSUE (the second American issue, with ads dated “February 1890” - published simultaneously with the English issue). “ELLERY QUEEN’S” COPY (signed by Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) as ‘“Barnaby Ross” / “Ellery Queen”’ on the title-page). Dannay, along with his cousin and writing partner, Manfred Lee (1905-1971) wrote the “Ellery Queen” novels as well as numerous bibliographies. A wonderful association copy. “Conan Doyle provides a vivid record of a dinner that brought him for the first time in [Oscar] Wilde’s company on 30 August [1889]... [Doyle’s] reputation seemed to be on the rise when [Lippincott editor Joseph M.] Stoddart asked him for his company at supper... his companions were the Irish M.P. Charles Gill and Oscar Wilde... ‘[T]he result of the evening,’ [Doyle recalled in Memories and Adventures], ‘was that both Wilde and I promised to write books for Lippincott’s Magazine - Wilde’s contribution was ‘The Picture of Dorian Grey’ [sic], while I wrote ‘The Sign of Four’, in which Holmes made a second appearance.’“ (Ian Small, The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, [2005], p. xxxii). Green and Gibson A7i. Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.