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The Pictorial History Of Sherlock Holmes
The Pictorial History of Sherlock Holmes not only covers the sleuth's dramatic career, but also details the spoofs, comics and myriad advertisements that have employed his name or silhouette. Illustrated with over 200 pictures, many in colour, this attractive volume includes film stills of the most memorable Holmes, as well as a plethora of other depictions of the master sleuth from around the world.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
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May 17, 2012
Michael Pointer’s The Pictorial History of Sherlock Holmes stands out on any bookshelf. I can confidently say that because this book is nearly 15 inches tall. The average large coffee table format book is about twelve inches. I have not seen an explanation of why such an oversized format was chosen.
I am an avid Pointer fan, with The Sherlock Holmes File and The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes two of the most treasured tomes on my bookshelf. Any fan of Sherlock Holmes as portrayed on stage or screen will love this book.
Chapter one discusses the publication of the first two Holmes novels and is focused on the illustrations, primarily by Sidney Paget, of the great detective. There is a glorious full-page (remember these are 15 inch pages!) color picture of the original Beeton’s Christmas Annual, including A Study in Scarlet. There is also the only color picture I’ve seen of James Greig’s drawing for the Windsor Magazine version of that tale.
Chapter two includes pictures of William Gillette and Eille Norwood on stage (Norwood did one Holmes play after his remarkable run of silent films) and even a picture of Leonard Nimoy from his turn as the great detective in a Chicago production of the Gillette play. These are sharp black and white stills and photos.
Chapter three takes us into the world of films. Georges Treville, Viggo Larsen, James Bragington, Eille Norwood, John Barrymore, Clive Brook, Robert Rendell, Raymond Massey, Arthur Wontner, Hans Albers, Herman Speelman, Bruno Guttner and Reginald Owen: there are LARGE, clear photos of these pre-Rathbone actors.
Of course, there are several photos of Basil Rathbone (and Nigel Bruce), then more stills of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, John Neville, Robert Stephens, Nicol Williamson and Christopher Plummer. There are just so many pictures and some posters.
It is more of the same with television Holmes’ up next. The book finishes out with parodies, comics and advertisements. Pointer’s text is relevant, though because of the format, much truncated from his other two books mentioned earlier. Any Sherlockian who considers the screen personae of Holmes a field of interest should have a copy of this book on hand. The large size of the photos really pulls out details that have otherwise gone unnoticed in other books on the subject. A fine effort.
I am an avid Pointer fan, with The Sherlock Holmes File and The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes two of the most treasured tomes on my bookshelf. Any fan of Sherlock Holmes as portrayed on stage or screen will love this book.
Chapter one discusses the publication of the first two Holmes novels and is focused on the illustrations, primarily by Sidney Paget, of the great detective. There is a glorious full-page (remember these are 15 inch pages!) color picture of the original Beeton’s Christmas Annual, including A Study in Scarlet. There is also the only color picture I’ve seen of James Greig’s drawing for the Windsor Magazine version of that tale.
Chapter two includes pictures of William Gillette and Eille Norwood on stage (Norwood did one Holmes play after his remarkable run of silent films) and even a picture of Leonard Nimoy from his turn as the great detective in a Chicago production of the Gillette play. These are sharp black and white stills and photos.
Chapter three takes us into the world of films. Georges Treville, Viggo Larsen, James Bragington, Eille Norwood, John Barrymore, Clive Brook, Robert Rendell, Raymond Massey, Arthur Wontner, Hans Albers, Herman Speelman, Bruno Guttner and Reginald Owen: there are LARGE, clear photos of these pre-Rathbone actors.
Of course, there are several photos of Basil Rathbone (and Nigel Bruce), then more stills of Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, John Neville, Robert Stephens, Nicol Williamson and Christopher Plummer. There are just so many pictures and some posters.
It is more of the same with television Holmes’ up next. The book finishes out with parodies, comics and advertisements. Pointer’s text is relevant, though because of the format, much truncated from his other two books mentioned earlier. Any Sherlockian who considers the screen personae of Holmes a field of interest should have a copy of this book on hand. The large size of the photos really pulls out details that have otherwise gone unnoticed in other books on the subject. A fine effort.
Displaying 1 of 1 review