Sherlock Holmes: Fact or Fiction?

by T.S. Blakeney, Thomas S. Blakeney

Book by Blakeney, T. S.

Genres: Mystery, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1993

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me entertained enough, I guess. Nothing I haven't read before though. Only would recommend for hardcore Sherlockians with nothing else new on their shelves. A quick read.

[Outlander · Rating 1 out of 5]

A nice pocket-sized synopsis of the canon and various facts, nice to have in my collection.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blakeney's "biography" of Sherlock Holmes is one I've often heard about but only just came across in a used bookstore, in the reissue edition from Otto Penzler books. Blakeney wrote this in 1932 and Penzler reissued it as part of his "Sherlock Holmes Library" in the 1990s. I have to say that while it was a fun read, I can't say I was as impressed as people implied I should be. The chapter on Holmes' relationship with Scotland Yard is fun without a doubt. The bulk of the book is an attempt to put Holmes original published adventures in chronological order -- I don't know if Blakeney was the first to do this but he certainly wasn't the last. Not being quite the Holmes devotee others are, I can't say whether I agree or disagree with Blakeney's logic concerning the placement of stories that have no internal dating or are dated inconsistently, but I can say it seemed logical to me and was fun to read.

The back cover copy says the appendices discuss Dr. Watson's second marriage -- and one does, but barely long enough to refute an earlier researcher's theory without Blakeney advancing an alternate name. The appendix refuting the theory that Holmes and Moriarty were the same person fares a little better in terms of length and commentary.

A fun read, and one I'm sure the Holmes aficionados I know have already read more than once.

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this only three stars not because of any issue I have with it, but because it is really for a narrow audience: major fans of the Sherlockian writings of A.C.Doyle, especially those who appreciate "the Game." This is a 1932 summary of some of the major issues and conundrums found in the Holmes Canon (e.g., the dating of the cases, the marriages of Watson, the questionable authorship of some of the later tales). It is written, like many works of the Game, with the assumption that Sherlock Holmes really existed. If you are a serious Holmes reader, you will get a kick out of this monograph. If you just casually read Doyle's works then you will find this confusing and boring. Me? Hey, I loved it.

[Patrick Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing.