Like other October Books workers of the past and present, I (Jacqueline) work part-time at October Books, and part-time elsewhere — in my case, at the University of Winchester. In my capacity as Open Access Officer there, I found myself on the Editorial Board of Winchester University Press; and somehow it took me nearly a year to wonder if there could be any crossover between the books we were publishing in Winchester, and the books I was selling in Southampton!

So it is that WUP makes its OB debut with two titles: An Historical Account of Winchester, With Descriptive Walks by Charles Ball; and The Adventures of the Creeping Man by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a facsimile edition of the Sherlock Homes tale with introduction and annotated transcription by the late Professor Neil McCaw.

An Historical Account, a reproduction of the original 1818 text, is reportedly a brisk seller at Winchester’s P&G Wells Booksellers (shout out to another indie bookshop!). It is received wisdom in Winchester that Keats had a copy of this and used it as a guide as he explored the city. You, too, could follow in his footsteps!

As for The Adventures of the Creeping Man, its minimalist cover conceals a gorgeous, hi-res facsimile of Conan Doyle’s handwritten manuscript, beautifully written in ink on lined paper with annotations in pencil. This text is transcribed and typeset on the facing page for ease of reading; but the manuscript provides insight into how the story developed, even at a late stage.