"The Greek Interpreter" Manuscript:
Sotheby's 2020 Sale Information

By Randall Stock, July 21, 2020 (revised)

Sotheby's offered the only known complete manuscript from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes via a July 2020 online auction. This story introduced Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes.

 

 

"The Greek Interpreter" Manuscript Description

Lot 138: Manuscript of "The Greek Interpreter" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Headed on the first page as "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter," with a very faint pencil note of "No. XXII" in the upper left corner.  Signed at end in the bottom right corner of the page as "Conan Doyle / 12 Tennison Road / S Norwood."  Not dated but c.1893.

 

Conan Doyle wrote this original autograph manuscript in sepia ink on the rectos only of 34 pages of ruled paper removed from a 4to notebook.  It measures 230 x 180 mm and includes revisions in ink and pencil.  Pages are numbered in the center of each sheet, likely by a compositor, in blue pencil or crayon as 1–34, overlapping the text.  The versos of pp. 22 and 33 contain pencil scribbles probably done by a child.  See below for photos of the manuscript's first and last pages.

 

The loose sheets of the manuscript are housed in a custom case.

 

Sotheby's set the starting bid at US$280,000, and listed the pre-sale estimate as US$350,000–US$450,000.

 

Sale Results

Bidding on July 21, 2020 did not reach the undisclosed reserve price, and the manuscript was not sold.

 

 

 

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History

After writing his first twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories, Conan Doyle was ready to move on to other projects. When the Strand Magazine requested more Holmes tales, he told his mother "I offered to do a dozen for a thousand pounds, but I sincerely hope that they won't accept it now."

 

They did accept, and so he went on to produce what became The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. He almost certainly wrote "The Greek Interpreter" in late 1892 or early 1893. The story introduced the detective's brother Mycroft Holmes. Conan Doyle initially described Mycroft as ten years older than Sherlock, but changed the manuscript to read "seven years."

 

Mark Gatiss portrayed Mycroft Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock. Gatiss talked with Sotheby's about Mycroft, the original Holmes stories, and the BBC series.

 

The story appeared in the September 1893 Strand Magazine, and in America in both the September 16, 1893 issue of Harper's Weekly and the October 1893 number of the New York Strand. Collected in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, George Newnes published the English first edition in 1893 (though dated 1894), and Harper & Brothers produced the American first edition in 1894.

 

Arthur Conan Doyle and his family dispersed most of his manuscripts over the years, but "The Greek Interpreter" is the possibly unique instance of a Holmes manuscript that they bought back. Prior to the opening of the Broadway musical Baker Street, the author's son Adrian Conan Doyle purchased the manuscript at a December 1964 Christie's auction. He then lent it for an exhibition of Sherlockian rarities in the lobby of The Broadway Theatre in New York City. The play opened February 16, 1965 with a record advance sale of $1 million and ran for more than 300 performances.

 

As of July 2020, the manuscript of "The Greek Interpreter" is the only complete manuscript known to exist from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

 

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Provenance

As reported by Sotheby's 2020:

Christie's London, December 18, 1964 (bought by Lew Feldman on behalf of the author's son Adrian Conan Doyle);  Sold Christie's, May 5, 1982, lot 102.

 

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"The Greek Interpreter" Manuscript Photos

First page of Conan Doyle manuscript for "The Greek Interpreter"

 

Last Page from "The Greek Interpreter" Manuscript

Last page of Conan Doyle manuscript for "The Greek Interpreter"

 

The manuscript description (above) has more information and another photo. See Sotheby's online catalogue for other photos of the manuscript.

 

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Sotheby's Catalogue & Sale Information

Sotheby's provides online information for their sale number N10394.

 

You can also go directly to their listing for Lot 138: Conan Doyle's "Greek Interpreter" manuscript. It includes large photos of the first three pages and the last page of the manuscript, as well as a photo of the entire manuscript.

 

Sotheby's interview with BBC Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss about Mycroft Holmes.

 

Sale Information

Fine Books and Manuscripts, including the Eric C. Caren Collection

Sale Number: N10394

Online bidding 6–21 July 2020 (How to Bid)

 

Sotheby's New York

1334 York Avenue

New York, New York 10021

+1 212 606 7000

 

The buyer's premium is 25% on the first $400,000, plus 20% on amounts in excess of $400,000 up to and including $4,000,000.

 

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Acknowledgements and Page History

Photos courtesy of Sotheby's.

 

My thanks to Dr. Kalika Sands at Sotheby's for photos and additional details about the manuscript.  Special thanks to David Karpeles for allowing me to examine the manuscript in 2012.

 

Details from Sotheby's 2020 catalogue and other sources.  The first version of this report appeared July 3, 2020.  Revised July 6, 2020 to include more details when the Sotheby's catalogue went online.  An update on July 11 added related information about Mycroft Holmes and the BBC series Sherlock.  The July 21 revision notes the results of the online auction.

 

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Related Pages

Census of Sherlock Holmes Manuscripts

 

Census of the Manuscript of The Hound of the Baskervilles

 

Checklist of non-Sherlockian Conan Doyle Manuscripts

 

Lists of each year's best Sherlock Holmes books & DVDs, the most famous Sherlock Holmes quotes, and more Top 10 Lists.

 

 

 

Return to Manuscripts Home page and Introduction

 

 

 

Vers. 2.1dx-RN Original work
Copyright ©2020  Randall Stock. All Rights Reserved.