Sherlock Holmes - A Study in Illustrations - Volume 4

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So we are up to Volume 4 of Sherlock Holmes: A Study in illustrations and sorry to say we are back in the world of monochrome illustrations, and although some may say that we are now in the minor leagues, we have some fine collections to look at. This is a very eclectic  mix of talent and draws heavily on French Illustrators and so within our major artist is Brazilian-born French illustrator Gaston de Forseca and his remaining 128 images to complete his Sherlock Holmes work. Some of his illustrations are not particularly flattering (Lord Robert St. Simon) or where of incidents that are referred to in back stories (Apache attack on Frank Moulton) or of people who are mentions in passing (Francis Prosper) or my favourite little Edward Rucastle.

Next we have 100 illustrations from Czech born Josef Freidrich and while his drawings may remind you of similar scenes from Sidney Paget, they are different, as if they were taken from a different camera angle. These are the two big major players in this book as we look at 6 illustrations from a French newspaper by Solar D’alba.

We cross to America and 13 book illustrations from Charles Raymond Macauley from the 1905 edition of the Return of Sherlock Holmes. Still in America John Richard Flanagan next takes to the stage with work he did for Collier’s magazine, after Frederic Dorr Steele left. He did 8 illustrations and was originally from Australia.

The next 4 illustrators share a common publication, namely the San Francisco Call, they are Stanley E. Armstrong, R. Thomson, Reginald Gordon Russom and Walter W. Francis and this group have  55 images between them.

We continue with another American illustrator, Joseph Clement Coll, more famous for his other Doyle stories produced a montage of his work with an illustration of Sherlock Holmes.

Back to France with 20 illustrations from Pierre George Dutriac for the 13 stories in the Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes , published in 1921.

Back to America and the St. Louis Republic newspaper 1902 and 13 drawings of the Hound of the Baskervilles by B. Widman and then in 1907 Paul Henri Thiriat illustrated a French serialized version of the same story.

Across the Channel to England where Henry Matthew Brock and Joseph William Simpson illustrated the red circle in the strand.

Finally we have Arthur Ignatius Keller and his 11 illustrations from the New York Tribune in 1914.

This makes a total of 398 illustrations for this volume, and that’s it until Volume 5.

Author    Mike Foy

ISBN      9781804240762

Format    Casebound Hardcover - B&W

Pages     436

Size        280mm x 216mm

Date       15th June 2023

Also available Volume 1-3 in the Mike Foy Author's Profile