The Canary Trainer - from the Memoirs of John H. Watson, M.D. [COLLECTIBLE ADVANCE READER'S COPY]

New York: W. W. Norton, 1993. ARC . Large Softcover. Fine Minus. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. This is an Advance Reading Copy, or ARC - a publishing state fast becoming an attractive "collectible", as it precedes the First Edition. Located by a computer in the bowels of a major university where it had collected dust for over half a century, this missing manuscript by the biographer of Sherlock Holmes reveals for the first time a hitherto unknown episode in the life of the Great Detective. Holmes, master sleuth, was also an accomplished violinist. Following his discharge from therapy with Sigmund Freud (see The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), we now learn that he journeyed to Paris and there found employment as a pit musician at the Paris Opera. The year is 1891, Paris is the capital of the western world, and its opera house is full of surprises. First and by no means least is the sudden reappearance of the great love of Holmes's life, an accomplished singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Second is the series of seemingly bizarre accidents - each more sinister than the last - allegedly arranged by the "Opera Ghost, " an opponent who goes by many names and is more than equal to Holmes. 225 pages. CONDITION: a bright, tight, square, unmarked, uncreased, evidently unread Fine Minus copy with minimal shelf-wear. This handsome, collectible copy is now in a clear, protective polypropylene bag.