1973 Fine Bayntun Binding - The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Long Stories

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Title: The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Long Stories.
Publisher: London, John Murray and Jonathan Cape, 1973. 
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7" x 5".
Pages: ix-571 pages.
Binding: Exquisite and fine full blue morocco leather binding by Bayntun of Bath, England, signed “Bayntun Binder, Bath, Eng.” to the upper margin of the front free endpaper. Spine richly decorated in gilt with raised bands, ornate gilt tooling, and contrasting red morocco title and author labels lettered in gilt. Boards ruled in gilt, with gilt decorated turn-ins, marbled endpapers, and all edges gilt. A beautiful and highly elegant fine binding, fresh, bright, and very well preserved. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Fine content. Pages are clean, bright, and firmly bound. A beautiful copy internally, with no significant foxing or markings observed.

Estimate: (USD 700–900).

The book: A beautifully bound Bayntun edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Long Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, containing the four Sherlock Holmes novels: A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Valley of Fear. These works introduced and developed one of the most famous figures in detective fiction, establishing Holmes, Dr. Watson, Baker Street, and the method of brilliant deductive reasoning that shaped the modern mystery genre.

This copy is especially desirable for its fine Bayntun binding, with deep blue morocco leather, red title labels, raised bands, rich gilt tooling, marbled endpapers, and all edges gilt. A handsome collector’s copy of the complete long Sherlock Holmes stories, combining Conan Doyle’s classic detective fiction with the elegance of one of England’s most respected bookbinding houses.

The author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a Scottish writer and physician best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. First appearing in A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Holmes became one of the most enduring characters in world literature. Doyle’s detective stories combined observation, logic, atmosphere, adventure, and memorable characterization, influencing countless writers and defining many of the conventions of modern crime fiction.

The binder: Bayntun of Bath is one of the most renowned English bookbinding firms, celebrated for its fine leather bindings, gilt tooling, marbled endpapers, and traditional craftsmanship. Bayntun bindings are prized by collectors for their elegance, durability, and refined presentation of classic works.