Starrett, Vincent

American Vincent Starrett was what in English is known as a ‘bookman’. He devoted his life and his professional activities to literature, authors and books, and referred to himself with Eugene Field’s neologism as ‘a dofab’ (a damned old fool about books). He was himself an author of primarily crime fiction, as well as a journalist, editor and poet, but above all a bibliophile and bibliographer. A large part of his list of titles consists of biographies of authors, as well as essays and articles primarily about books, book collecting – and Sherlock Holmes. In 1934, Starrett was one of the founders of the Holmes association called The Baker Street Irregulars, and a member of several other Sherlockian associations in various countries.