Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #483459 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 78 pages

Synopsis
Nostalgic yearning for the 'good old days' of gaslights, swirling fog and hansom cabs Who is Holmes? The world's most famous detective? A drug addict with a heart as cold as ice? A millstone around the neck of his creator? He's all of these things and much, much more - an iconic fictional creation, inseparable from his partner-in-crime Dr John Watson, who has charmed and fascinated millions of people around the world since his first appearance over a century ago. Sherlock Holmes was the brainchild of Portsmouth GP Arthur Conan Doyle. A writer of historical romantic fiction, he became unhappy that the detective's enormous success eclipsed his more serious offerings. But attempting to wipe him out at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, he was faced with a vociferous backlash from the general public - and eventually he had no choice but to bring his sleuth back from the grave to face more puzzling mysteries. While not strictly speaking 'canonical', Holmes' deerstalker, curved pipe and cries of "Elementary, my dear Watson!" have been immortalised in countless stage, film, television and radio productions.

Each actor to have played the part has brought his own personality to it - and quite often Holmes' personality has subsumed the actor's own. Basil Rathbone never shook off the great detective's mantle, and Jeremy Brett suffered a mental breakdown after his intense television portrayal. Clearly, Holmes' influence is as strong now as it ever was - a byword in rational deduction and one of English literature's finest creations. What's in it? The original 60 stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle examined in detail; potted biographies of Doyle and his famous duo; an A-Z of every actor to have portrayed Holmes on stage, film, radio and television; pastiches and spoofs; appendices that include an indepth bibliography and a look at the best Sherlockian websites around. Pocket Essentials is a new series that aims to combat the dumbing-down of modern culture. Short, snappy text. Easy to read. Riveting. Enthusiastic. Fresh. Critical. Packed with facts, backed up with opinion, crammed with information, this is the first step into the world of books, film and television.

Customer Reviews

Does what it says on the tin
If you are a Sherlockian, this book is not essential; but it does cover the main points, a precis of the canon, and a list of TV & film actors.

In quality, it is quite good, well researched and referenced, but again, it is too scanty to be the serious fan's reference work.