Jerry Margolin’s (Hilton Cubitt, 1977) fascinating interview showcases how, for him, “art in the blood” takes the form of stewarding the world’s largest collection of original art relating to Sherlock Holmes.
His commitment to stewarding creations by luminaries ranging from Sidney Paget to Will Elder to Gahan Wilson (as well as some names which may surprise the listener) is matched only by his enthusiasm for hosting visitors to his collection and for sharing enticing glimpses of his collection on social media.
Jerry shares insights about, among numerous topics, his background and family life; his introduction to Sherlock Holmes, thanks to his brother; his encounters with esteemed rare book dealers such as Enola Stewart of Gravesend Books and Lew Feldman of House of El Dieff (who originated the Morley-Montgomery Award); meaningful friendships formed and reinforced through the BSI Dinners and Sherlockian scion encounters; and captivating anecdotes from his decades of experience in collecting.
A tremendous example of the latter is the list of outstanding individuals from whom Jerry has requested art—even those who did not contribute to his collection are, indeed, illustrious! Jerry’s conversation exemplifies the collector’s joy both in acquiring items and in sharing them with fellow collectors and the broader public.
He is joined in this interview by his wife Judy—always introduced by Jerry as “St. Judy”—who shares her unique perspectives on being the extraordinarily patient spouse of a Sherlockian and “living in a museum.”
Click to play this interview (playback help)
Interviewee: Jerry and Judy Margolin
Interviewer: Sonia Fetherston
Date: September 28, 2013
Location: Margolin home in Portland, OR
Description: MP3, 45 MB, 88kbps, 1 hour, 10 minutes
Interview Topics
Early life and family
Isaac Asimov
Julian Wolff
Norman Nolan
Andy Peck
BSI Dinner
Collecting
Rare Books
Enola Stewart
Gravesend Books
Lew Feldman
House of El Dieff
Frederic Dorr Steele
Sidney Paget
Al Hirschfeld
Definitions
Explanation of BSI Honours & Other Terms
Related Materials
The 1977 BSI Dinner
Jerry Margolin received his Investiture at this BSI Dinner.
Audio Podcast: Collectors’ Corner - Jerry Margolin (IHOSE website)
Jerry appeared on Scott Monty and Burt Wolder’s Sherlock Holmes podcast.
Jerry Margolin's Sherlockian Art (Flickr website)
A selection of Jerry’s art collection is hosted on Flickr.
For an index to all OHP interviews, see our Oral History Project Summary list.
Interviews recently added online (sorted by when recording was posted online)
Material in the BSI Archive may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our BSI Archive page.
Page composed on 4/15/23 by Tamar Zeffren
This page last updated 4/21/23 by Randall Stock
