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The Narrative of John Smith - His Unpublished First Novel
by Arthur CONAN DOYLE, Edited and with an Introduction by Jon LELLENBERG, Daniel STASHOWER and Rachel FOSS
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good+/Very Good+
- ISBN 10
- 0712358412
- ISBN 13
- 9780712358415
- Seller
-
Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
First edition / first printing, 2011. Both book and unclipped dust jacket are in excellent condition. All contents are tight and clean. There are no inscriptions.
"Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Narrative of John Smith in 1883 when he was just 23, living in Portsmouth and struggling to establish himself as a doctor and a writer. By that time he had succeeded in getting a number of short stories published in leading magazines of the day, such as Blackwood's, All the Year Round, London Society and the Boy's Own Paper. But, as was the accepted practice of literary journals of the time, his stories were published anonymously and Conan Doyle realised that to make his name as a writer he would have to write a novel. That novel, the first he ever wrote, and published here for the first time, is The Narrative of John Smith. More a string of ruminations than a novel, it is however of considerable biographical importance and has exceptional value as a window into the mind of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Many of the themes and tropes of his later writing, including his first Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet (published in 1887), can be clearly seen. Via the protagonist, John Smith, a 50-year-old man confined to his room by an attack of gout, Conan Doyle sets down his thoughts and opinions on a range of subjects - literature, science, religion, war, education - with no detectable shyness or diffidence, full of bravado in the face of little professional success at that time. Although it has little in the way of plot it stands as a fascinating record of an early attempt at writing by a man who was on his way to being one of the best-known authors in the world."
"Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Narrative of John Smith in 1883 when he was just 23, living in Portsmouth and struggling to establish himself as a doctor and a writer. By that time he had succeeded in getting a number of short stories published in leading magazines of the day, such as Blackwood's, All the Year Round, London Society and the Boy's Own Paper. But, as was the accepted practice of literary journals of the time, his stories were published anonymously and Conan Doyle realised that to make his name as a writer he would have to write a novel. That novel, the first he ever wrote, and published here for the first time, is The Narrative of John Smith. More a string of ruminations than a novel, it is however of considerable biographical importance and has exceptional value as a window into the mind of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Many of the themes and tropes of his later writing, including his first Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet (published in 1887), can be clearly seen. Via the protagonist, John Smith, a 50-year-old man confined to his room by an attack of gout, Conan Doyle sets down his thoughts and opinions on a range of subjects - literature, science, religion, war, education - with no detectable shyness or diffidence, full of bravado in the face of little professional success at that time. Although it has little in the way of plot it stands as a fascinating record of an early attempt at writing by a man who was on his way to being one of the best-known authors in the world."
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Details
- Bookseller
- Itchen Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 810
- Title
- The Narrative of John Smith - His Unpublished First Novel
- Author
- Arthur CONAN DOYLE, Edited and with an Introduction by Jon LELLENBERG, Daniel STASHOWER and Rachel FOSS
- Format/Binding
- Original burgundy boards, lettered in gilt to the spine, with motif to front by Chris Wormell. In unclipped dustwrapper.
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good+
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good+
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition / 1st Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0712358412
- ISBN 13
- 9780712358415
- Publisher
- The British Library
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 2011
- Pages
- 138
- Keywords
- Arthur Conan-Doyle ; Sherlock Holmes ;
Terms of Sale
Itchen Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Refund issued on receipt of returned item.
About the Seller
Itchen Books
Biblio member since 2019
Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire
About Itchen Books
20th Century first editions with some older items. Specialist areas of interest include Russian literature, Irish literature.
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