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| My little library |
Maybe
I have a face for radio. A very small station in Cincinnati, WMKV, invited me
to hold forth on a call-in program about book collecting. My subject, of
course, would be Sherlock Holmes.
My objection
that I’m actually an accumulator of books and not a collector was met with an
assurance that the listeners aren’t collectors either. Having no good rebuttal
to that, I agreed to go to the studio for an hour on Friday, April 7.
I
plan to talk about some of the books in my library that are most meaningful to
me – The Complete Sherlock Holmes that
I bought with my own money in the seventh grade, the rare Three Problems for Solar Pons that I picked up for a quarter at a
library sale, and several books that look and feel like volumes I read when I
was very young.
I’ll
also explain the Shaw 100, recommend Sherlock
Holmes for Dummies, tell the story of Vincent Starrett’s Holmes
collections, and discuss the Holmes material stolen in my first Sebastian
McCabe – Jeff Cody mystery, No Police Like Holmes.
All
of that may take less time than I think, so help me out. What’s your favorite Holmes
book now residing on your shelves and why? Or what’s your favorite story about how
you got a book? Or your favorite story about how you didn’t get a book?
If
you’re willing to share with me, I’m willing to share with the radio audience. This
is starting to seem like fun.
Well, 'Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Murders, an account by John watson M.D.' of course!; okay, I'll play... my original set is my treasure, reproduced from The Strand originals with Sidney Paget's wonderfully evocative illustrations. That said, my Michael Kurland books are cherished, as are my various others-also I have the Rathbone DVDS and My Wife bought me the Jeremy Brett box-set one giddy Christmas...
ReplyDeleteMy favorite story about findings SH books is going into an old barn turned book shop and walking out with a bag full of old Doyle books. Dusty old books need to be found in dusty old buildings (barns).That was the adventure.
ReplyDeleteI also love it when friends are moving and packing boxes of books, they come across a Sherlock Holmes book and realize they never did read it and knowing I am a fan, they give it to me.
Great comment, John. Thanks!
ReplyDelete