First edition Hardback Sherlock Holmes novels no. 8

His Last Bow (1917)

Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 Nov 2026.

Market value

What decides the price

  • It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
  • Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

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Sales record

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In short

Quick answer

Who published the His Last Bow first edition?
John Murray, London, in 1917, in hardback.
Identification

How to identify this edition

Published by John Murray in London in October 1917 (Wikipedia gives 22 October); George H. Doran issued the American edition in New York the same month, so a Doran imprint means the US book. The British first is an octavo in red cloth lettered in gilt; dealers commonly report a faded or sunned spine and dulled gilt. The title page carries the John Murray imprint and the date 1917.

Publisher's practice

How John Murray marked its first editions

  • From at least the 1920s Murray printed "First Edition" on the reverse of the title page of new books, a practice it confirmed to H. S. Boutell in both 1928 and 1947.

Read the full guide to John Murray first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.

Printing by printing

Printings and states

First impression

1917

At a glance

Not yet researched

We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.

Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the His Last Bow first edition?

John Murray, London, in 1917, in hardback.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.