I have pondered on this one long enough now and have decided to commit. This evening, Anthony Horowitz and his revamp/rehash of the Sherlock Holmes pantheon, came into the Ninth Gate stable. A splendid signed first edition makes three future classics in the hole - actually, four if we're counting The Owl Killers that Eleanor bought for me last year, but I'm not sure if I want to sell that.

It's not much, but it sure has the makings of a store that I would want to browse in. Lest we forget, this was started up as a retirement business. Where it will go from here, I don't know but until I have a good 50 or 60 books boxed up, I shall not be trading. Just collecting. There is method to that madness as they all need some time to get a bit older and rarer.

Anyway, The House of Silk could go one of two ways once it goes mass market. It could die a miserable death and take Horowitz and his career with it or it could sky-rocket in light of people who aren't too fussy snapping up whatever Sherlock Holmes paraphernalia they can get their hands on. I wouldn't put a whole lot of money on either but the fact that it's the first officially sanctioned Holmes book makes it a reasonably wise investment.

Head on over to the Ninth Gate Books tab if you're interested in what else I've been collecting. It will grow at a rate of at least one a month.