“It’s quite a universe, the first real fandom,” De Lemos said. President Franklin Roosevelt was an honorary member, and the college has the letter he sent accepting his inclusion. ![]() Guymon was also a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, an exclusive club devoted to scholarship about Sherlock Holmes. Other must-see items include card games, puzzles, photographs, a letter from actor Basil Rathbone, and books signed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. “The first editions are fabulous but we also have a painting, original illustrated art from ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ by Sidney Paget, that’s beautiful,” De Lemos said. His finds include first editions of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”Īmong the items guests can see in the exhibit will be first editions from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock canon of 56 short stories and four novels, including “A Study in Scarlet,” published in 1887, incidentally, the year Occidental College was founded. So it started with Sherlock.”ĭe Lemos said since hardboiled detective fiction didn’t get a lot of respect from academia in the 1920s, Guymon had free rein hunting down items for his collection, digging into dusty basements for things now considered holy grail items by collectors. “He realized he needed to narrow down his collection of American literature and he remembered his love for Sherlock Holmes. “Ned was well set up in life, and at Occidental, he was a comparative literature major,” she said. “You can touch it, you read it, and odor is part of the experience.” “Books give you a multisensory experience,” Krisilas said. Older collectors who were railroad fans in their youth, for example, choose volumes and items related to the West, while younger collectors tend toward social issues. “People tend to be sentimental and collect stuff they’re familiar with,” he said. More than 120 exhibitors will be set up at the book fair including international booksellers from Argentina, Austria (specifically Vienna), Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Germany and the Netherlands.Ībout 3,000 book lovers are expected to attend, according to Greg Krisilas, chair of the bi-annual event. “We’re excited to bring enthusiasts together once again to not only view items one might see in a museum or special collections library but also have a chance to browse, touch, and maybe even go home with rare collectibles.” “Whether you’re a music aficionado, food connoisseur or mystery lover - or an experienced or novice collector - our fair is guaranteed to have something for everyone,” said Carol Sandberg, book fair vice-chair. 10-12, in Pasadena will be a curated exhibition of first-edition books, magazines and rare ephemera from one of the largest collections in mystery and detective fiction, including everything Sherlock Holmes. (Photos courtesy of the California International Antiquarian Book Fair)ĭeduce this: among the rare books and maps at the 55th California International Antiquarian Book Fair, Feb. 10-12, at the Pasadena Convention Center. (Right) Sherlock Holmes’ first appearance in print, in 1887, is one item in several exhibits at the 55th California International Antiquarian Book Fair, Feb. ![]() Prices range from just a few dollars to six figures. (Middle) About 3,000 book lovers and collectors are expected to attend the fair, covering books, maps, ephemera and historical documents from every imaginable area – from the history of travel and exploration to early science and medicine to classic literature, first editions, autographs, and children’s and illustrated books. An exhibit with items from that collection will be displayed at the 55th California International Antiquarian Book Fair, Feb. (Left) A bookplate owned by Ned Guymon (1900-1983) who donated his collection of Sherlock Holmes first editions and other related materials to his alma mater, Occidental College in Los Angeles.
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