the 'first' first

Before A Study in Scarlet, the first published Holmes story, even begins we are met with the words:

'Part 1

Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson MD, late of the Army Medical Department'

This is a delicious example of the fun absurdity of 'the Great Game'. Scholars can pretend they seek high, low, far and wide for the 'original' publication  - of which the version put out by Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887 was merely a "reprint" - but, of course, they will never find it. Yet knowing you will never (can never) know about a thing in no way impacts on the instinct to speculate on that thing. And so the fictional words of Conan Doyle take on the substance almost of a 'real' Watson.

Speculation naturally rests on where these "reminiscences" were first printed, where and by whom - to say nothing of what they may have contained by way of the autobiographical information so conspicuously absent from the published Adventures! Some have questioned whether or not Watson was being strictly accurate in using the term 'reprint', suggesting perhaps a small privately printed run for friends and relatives, if even that. 

However, I feel sure that there was a 'first' printing of STUD and the clue remains buried in the text that has passed down to us.

It comes whilst Holmes and Watson are waiting at Baker Street for the answer to their newspaper advert. Holmes conversationally starts talking about a book he's found  -  "this little brown-backed volume" he has picked up at some stall, a very old book that dates from 1642. 

And what do we find Watson asking? "Who was the printer?" 

Not "who wrote it?" or "What's the title?" but "Who printed it?"...! An exceedingly odd question, one might think... but it proves that even at that early stage, of about 1881 or thereabouts, Watson was thinking about putting biographical pen to paper... and evidently about how and where he could get his writings published (probably as cheaply as possible). Printing, printers, publication... all these were evidently much on his mind.

No doubt at that stage his plans were to have a volume printed purely of his Medical experiences (which could have been instructive) and his Army experiences (which must have been rather brief). Soon, however, a much more exciting idea occurs to him:

"It is wonderful!" I cried. "Your merits should be publicly recognised. You should publish an account of the case. If you won't, I will for you."

Generations of his - and Conan Doyle's - readers can only be thankful that he indeed did so. The world would certainly be a lot less fun without them, whether you choose to play 'the Great Game' or not.

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