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Lot #588
Arthur Conan Doyle

Conan Doyle pens a mysterious letter in his final days

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Description

Conan Doyle pens a mysterious letter in his final days

ALS signed “ACD,” one page on a personal correspondence card, 5.25 x 3.5, no date. Letter discussing some scientific experiments. In full: “I am a sick man (Angina) and don’t feel equal to so enormous a subject. There is a lady Miss Dickenson of Marine Home, the Parade, Brighton, who has for years been doing stage experiments which I could never fully understand. She gets in her testtubes a thing like a beetle, which is just like some of your photos, only more transparent. This sheds off small crystals which penetrate the glass of the vessel and are found all over the room. It all begins with some colloid formation but it is beyond me. Some people have thought that this was an analogy with the Egyptian Scarab—the centre of life. I don’t know if you could get in touch.” The text printed on the reverse reads: “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle regrets that owing to ill-health he is unable at present to give attention to the matter which you discuss.” In very good condition, with scattered toning and soiling, and a small tear to the bottom edge. Conan Doyle was diagnosed with angina in 1929 and would die of a heart attack on July 7, 1930. Although he is most well-known for his detective fiction and Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle was also a prolific science fiction writer and fascinated by experiments the likes of which he describes in this letter. A great letter from one of Great Britain’s most famous authors. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: August Monthly
  • Dates: #390 - Ended August 15, 2012





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
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