Rare manuscripts

The latest Conan Doyle manuscript to hit the market will cost somebody a bundle:

The complete manuscript of a Sherlock Holmes short story, written in Conan Doyle's elegant hand and bound for the author himself, will be one of the highlights of the Antiquarian Book Fair in London today, with a price tag of £250,000.

*Sigh*…too rich for me.

Julian Blackwell, head of the Blackwell's bookstore chain and publishing company has donated $10-million towards building a new exhibition hall for the Bodleian Library so that the public can have access to its rare treasures hitherto only available to scholars and researchers.

A fifth-century manuscript page, long missing from the original work, has turned up in fragments under the floor of an Egyptian monastery. The page is the oldest dated Christian text in existence and lists many hitherto unknown early Christian martyrs.

An autographed proof of For Whom the Bell Tolls will go under the hammer in November. The manuscript bears the authors handwritten corrections and a dedication to his fiancé. It’s expected to bring in $75,000 to $125,000.