A Treasury of Sherlock Holmes — Doyle 1955 Doubleday

📖 A Treasury of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1955, Doubleday) — a comprehensive anthology of two novels and twenty-seven short stories, curated and introduced by Adrian Conan Doyle, youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and literary executor of his father’s estate. VG/VG with original dust jacket.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
• Introduction: Adrian Conan Doyle (1910–1970)
• Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York
• Year: 1955 (Catalogue Number 55-5930)
• Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
• Pages: 686 | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Book: Very Good / Jacket: Very Good — full report below

THE STORIES

This anthology gathers the essential Sherlock Holmes canon into a single volume. The two full-length novels — A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles — anchor the collection, joined by twenty-seven short stories ranging from “The Red-Headed League” and “The Speckled Band” to “The Final Problem” and “His Last Bow.” Adrian Conan Doyle’s introduction draws on conversations with his father about the Holmes stories, offering a personal perspective on which tales Conan Doyle himself considered strongest.

THIS EDITION

Published by Doubleday in 1955, the same year Adrian Conan Doyle was actively expanding the Holmes canon through The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes (1954, with John Dickson Carr). This volume collects the original Conan Doyle stories rather than the new Adrian contributions. The dust jacket features a typographic design by Sydney Butchkes — bold orange block lettering over a textured yellow background — and includes a Baker Street scene photograph on the back cover. The original retail price of $4.95 is printed on the front flap.

COVER DESIGN

The dust jacket presents a striking mid-century typographic design: “SHERLOCK HOLMES” in bold sans-serif within an orange rectangular block against a warm yellow field. The spine is tan with clean serif lettering and “DOUBLEDAY” at the base. The back cover features a black-and-white photograph of Holmes’s study at 221B Baker Street, complete with bookshelves, scientific equipment, and a bust at the window — the very scene described in the jacket blurb. With dust jacket removed, the boards are clean paper-bound with solid color and sharp corners.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Adrian Conan Doyle (1910–1970) was Sir Arthur’s youngest son and served as literary executor of the Conan Doyle estate, controlling publication of the Holmes stories
• The introduction draws on Adrian’s personal recollections of conversations with his father about which Holmes stories the author considered his finest
• Collects 29 of the original 56 Holmes stories in a single mid-century Doubleday volume — a staple of American home libraries in the 1950s and 1960s
• Doubleday Catalogue Number 55-5930; Brodart library processing labels present, indicating prior institutional provenance

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First (and only) Doubleday edition, 1955. Catalogue Number 55-5930. Printed in the United States.

What condition is it in? Book and jacket both graded Very Good (VG/VG). Full condition report below.

Is the dust jacket included? Yes, with original $4.95 price intact on the front flap. Jacket is protected in a clear archival cover.

FOR COLLECTORS

This volume sits at the intersection of Conan Doyle bibliography and mid-century American publishing. Adrian Conan Doyle’s role as literary executor — and his active work expanding the Holmes canon in the 1950s with John Dickson Carr — makes his introduction here more than a courtesy foreword. The Brodart library processing labels indicate this copy passed through institutional hands before entering the collector market.

Overall Grade: Book: Very Good (VG) / Jacket: Very Good (VG)

• Cover & Spine: The paper-bound boards are clean with solid color. The spine remains square with minimal shelf-wear at the head and tail. Board corners are sharp all around.
• Dust Jacket: The jacket is protected in a clear archival cover. It shows minor rubbing to the edges and corners with slight wear to the spine ends. The spine is sunned. The price is intact inside the front flap.
• Text Block & Pages: Lightly age-toned pages. The text block is clean and free of markings.
• Binding: The binding is tight and square. Front hinge is split but the binding is holding tight, not shook or stressed, back hinge intact.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

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