# Is "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (George Newnes Ltd., 1894) is identified by: first published this collection in December 1893, with the title page dated 1894; it collects eleven of the twelve Strand Magazine stories, omitting 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.' The first edition is illustrated throughout by Sidney Paget with ninety illustrations, including the frontispiece. The British Newnes first edition holds priority and omits 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.' The first American edition, published by Harper & Brothers in February 1894, initially included 'The Cardboard Box' but the story was quickly withdrawn from subsequent Harper printings, making early-state Harper copies that retain it a distinct, identifiable issue point.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- George Newnes Ltd. first published this collection in December 1893, with the title page dated 1894; it collects eleven of the twelve Strand Magazine stories, omitting 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.' The first edition is illustrated throughout by Sidney Paget with ninety illustrations, including the frontispiece
- It is bound in the publisher's dark blue cloth over bevelled boards, the front cover and spine blocked and lettered in gilt and black, all edges gilt, with peacock feather-patterned endpapers
- Publisher imprint reads George Newnes Ltd.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Publisher | George Newnes Ltd. |
| Year | 1894 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | George Newnes Ltd. first published this collection in December 1893, with the title page dated 1894; it collects eleven of the twelve… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
George Newnes Ltd. first published this collection in December 1893, with the title page dated 1894; it collects eleven of the twelve Strand Magazine stories, omitting 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.' The first edition is illustrated throughout by Sidney Paget with ninety illustrations, including the frontispiece. It is bound in the publisher's dark blue cloth over bevelled boards, the front cover and spine blocked and lettered in gilt and black, all edges gilt, with peacock feather-patterned endpapers.

## Is this the true first?
The British Newnes first edition holds priority and omits 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.' The first American edition, published by Harper & Brothers in February 1894, initially included 'The Cardboard Box' but the story was quickly withdrawn from subsequent Harper printings, making early-state Harper copies that retain it a distinct, identifiable issue point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Newnes reprints use plainer bindings without the bevelled boards and full gilt-and-black blocking of the first issue; whether 'The Cardboard Box' is present is also a useful check against later, expanded reprintings that eventually restored the story.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes* by Arthur Conan Doyle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-memoirs-of-sherlock-holmes
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.