Some new books (including from Curtis Armstrong)

It's been a while since I shared some new books on the blog. I have to be honest: I'm not amazing and finding and judging books based on their rarity and quality and value. I have a list of books I'm looking for that is not long, and are mainly obscure things that are 'rare but not valuable' because I really want to read them. And then I keep an eye out for Granada-related publications, BSI publications, and British Sherlockian society publications.

Apart from that, what I look for are things that catch my fancy - because they are pretty, or because they have an owner's inscription that I'd like to trace to learn more about the owner (my favorite hobby).

Here are some examples of books I managed to get hold of recently, and why I purchased them. Three of these things were purchased as part of Type Punch Matrix, a book dealer that acquired the collection of Curtis Armstrong and have been releasing the books in batches - with the last batch being released a week or two ago. 

First is a copy of Through The Magic Door, a conversational book where Arthur Conan Doyle shares his favorite writings. The books os not a first edition, but came with a dust jacket split into two parts at a crease. What I really like is the bookplate inside the cover, signed by Curtis Armstrong.

London: Thomas Nelson. 7.25’’ x 4.75’’. Original red cloth, gilt-lettered spine. In original dust jacket with photographic paste-on to front panel. 256 pages. From the library of noted actor and Sherlockian Curtis Armstrong, with his signed bookplate to front free endpapers. Jacket in two parts, split along front joint, with about 1/3 of spine lacking, moderate wear andsoil. Book with light edgewear and bumping. Very good plus in good jacket.

Next is a set of the first six issues of the Journal of the Arthur Conan Doyle Society.  I'd really like to own a set of this journal - the articles are wonderful and there aren't too many collections of Doylean articles. I keep an eye out for these issues - but don't see them too oftem.

Chester: The Arthur Conan Doyle Society. 8.25’’ x 5.75’’ each. Original pictorial wrappers. Ranging between 80and232pages.Thoughnoprovenancemarkings, from the library of noted actor and Sherlockian Curtis Armstrong. Moderate soil to wrappers (a bit heavier to Vol. 3, with crease to front wrapper). Interiors clean. Overall very good.

Third from this purchase was GRANADA COMPANION NUMBER ONE: A Sherlock Holmes Album. This one was a bit of a gamble. It was produced with Granada as an overview of the series to date. What I was hoping to find were some behind-the-scenes photographs - especially information about the Baker Street File. No luck there - you can see the contents of the magazine in this video from the Jeremy Brett podcast guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWZUvy2yZlI .

London: Karizzma. 12.75’’ x 9.25’’. Original saddle-stapled color pictorial wrappers. 40 pages. Though no provenance markings, this copy from the library of noted actor and Sherlockian Curtis Armstrong. Light bumping, edgewear. Very good plus. 

This isn't part of the above purchase, but one I picked up on eBay. It definitely fits into the 'pretty' category for searching. I love this dust jacket.

Tales of Sherlock Holmes. Published by New York: Grosset & Dunlap, New York. Early 1940s.