DOYLE, Arthur Conan (1859-1930). Autograph note signed (“A Conan Doyle”) to an unnamed recipient regarding a walking tour, Belvedere Hotel Davos Platz, April 2nd/94.
One page, 8vo (161 x 102 mm) on plain paper with 2 hole-punch holes at top (holes at upper margin chipped, paper toned, foxed, offset, 1 horizontal crease). “My dear Sir Very many thanks! Today was due to my being away on a walking tour. Wishing you all luck with your series [?] Yours very truly A Conan Doyle.” This letter refers to Doyle’s poem, An Alpine Walk (1894, appearing in The Young Man; an extracted copy is included).
[Together with:] McClure’s Magazine. New York: S. S. McClure, March 1895, Volume IV, no. 4. 8vo. Illustrated. Publisher’s printed wrappers (some chipping, wear, light soiling). Doyle’s story, The Lord of the Chateau Noir is contained herein. -- [Together with:] DOYLE, Arthur Conan. A Foreign Office Romance. Extracted from The Christmas Number of “The Young Man” and “The Young Woman.” [ca. 1890s]. 4 loose 8vo pages (some toning, wear). -- [Together with:] An original double-page engraving of Davos (“Davos im Schnee - Davos dans la Neige”). Approximately 221 x 299 mm. With a vertical crease in the center, pages toned. Also included are photocopies of photos of Doyle and family joking around on skis. In 1893 at age 34, Doyle, along with his two young children and his wife, Louisa, headed to Davos, Switzerland. Louisa, suffering from Tuberculosis, had been prescribed a high-altitude “cure.” Doyle maintained that the mountain air that kept her alive until 1906, living long past her doctors’ prognosis. Before her death, Doyle and family returned to Davos annually; he developed his unique method of skiing (“ski-running”) in 1895.