[Arthur Conan Doyle]. "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley. A South African Story" Doyle's First Appearance in Print in Chambe...

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[Arthur Conan Doyle]. "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley. A South African Story" Doyle's First Appearance in Print in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art. London & Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers, 1879. Very good.

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[Arthur Conan Doyle]. "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley. A South African Story" Doyle's First Appearance in Print in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art. London & Edinburgh: W. & R. Chambers, 1879.

First printing. Octavo. Contained on pages 568-572 of issue No. 819, Saturday, September 6, 1879 edition of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art.

Half maroon morocco over blue buckram boards with titles and decoration stamped in gilt on the spine. Marbled endpapers. Moderate shelf wear to the extremities with some addition soiling to boards, else a sound copy in very good condition.

Doyle was 20 years old when, on a whim, he penned this short story set in South Africa. It appeared anonymously and Doyle was paid three pounds, three shillings for his efforts - a princely sum given that his annual income was two pounds per month at the time. His first effort at writing provides some hint of his later familiar writing style, complete with his use of reason and deduction to solve a mystery. A quite uncommon offering.