The Unique Hamlet: A Hitherto Unchronicled Adventure of Mr. Sherlock Holmes

by Vincent Starrett

In 1920, Vincent Starrett privately printed "The Unique A Hitherto Unchronicled Adventure of Mr. Sherlock Holmes," a novelette concerning a unusual edition of Shakespeare's play. The edition is believed to have consisted of 110 copies, of which about 50 are still known to exist among collectors. Starrett, no stranger to fiction, wrote extensively in the mystery field, including the 1975 book, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." He also created his own Chicago-based detective, Jimmy Lavender, whose stories are very much in the Holmes tradition.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Shakespeare, Classics, Amazon

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

AKA Charles Vincent Starrett, or Charles Starrett

Vincent Starrett was a book collector, author, bibliographer, and a Sherlock Holmes scholar. He has been referred to as part of Chicago's "literary renaissance” and has written or edited more than 50 books of essays, criticism, fiction, biography, poetry, and bibliography.

Reviews

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done story. It has to do with book collecters and a very unique book. I highly recommend this story.

[Girish · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a good thing the author seeks apology of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the dedications column. The story is too shallow to fit into the groove of Sherlock Holmes and yet we have a "mystery" that could have been solved by anyone.

When has Watson and Holmes ever relied on following the footsteps to solve a crime?! I mean, this is police work 101 and it takes Mr.Holmes and Watson excited enough to solve the "crime". The story is less of an ode and more of a let down to the great sleuth.

Size is the only advantage.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, enjoyable read with all the hallmarks of the original Sherlock stories. Any fan of Sir Arthur will enjoy this one.

[shawn marton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good quick read

I thought this book would be a little longer but I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and great if waiting for the bus or doctor appointment.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting addition to Sherlockian lore.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest for me no one will ever surpass The Arthur Conan Doyle stories of Sherlock Holmes
While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery an imitator will never surpass a creator.
Don't misunderstand I've read some very good Sherlock Holmes tales over the years
but this particular short story misses the target
while a very promising premise
I found it didn't quite capture the atmosphere of Victorian England well or the essence of intrigue needed for a Sherlock Holmes adventure.
The dialogue was not as crisp or lively either.
Although it's Good enough to kill a few minutes of boredom

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

True to the canon

Many times someone else has attempted to bring a literary figure to life on the written page to continue that figure's adventures. Most don't live up to the character, however this not the case in this story. I was able to figure out whodunit, but I wasn't sure if the reason for it. But Holmes was able to bring the why to light and the who along with it. If you like Sherlock Holmes and who doesn't, then try this short story on for size. I think you well like it.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to find this, and did on the internet. A fun little pastiche of the Holmes variety. Again, an unknown Quattro Shakespeare is in the mix.
(I remember that this type of situation, of I believe a Poe manuscript, appeared in a John Dickson Carr story.)

Anyway it’s a fun quick read. This story was put into a limited printing and is in itself, worth quite bit, which actually helps make the story’s story just as interesting.

Vincent Starrett’s other mysteries are quite fun and worth finding.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a Sherlock fan

Sherlock and Watson are called in by a book collector who was robbed of a rare Shakespeare folio.
This story tale is for fans of Holmes just as the writer Vincent Starrett was a fan of Holmes.
The good points are the moments of Holmes and Watson on the case.
The parts I didn't care for is that it was not much of a mystery, but then again it was not meant to be, it was a great tale written by a fan of Sherlock Holmes.

[William Yeager Sr · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Error.

Great book ,full of all things Sherlockian. I enjoyed the storyline at it's rapid pace. Nobly done. One thing I noticed in the first paragraph was " looking out a bay window. After all the time I read as much Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle ,and other various authors, there was never any reference to having a bay window.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story (literally took me 20 minutes to read) was a delightful little Sherlock Holmes story. It wasn't written by Arthur Conan Doyle, so it's a little bit of an imitation. But nonetheless fun to read. Points off for not being original and a little bit trite of an ending.

[LecturerRich · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a fun read short but fun

[Shawn Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair to middling pastiche. If you're looking for a quick Holmes fix, this will suffice.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.

[Risa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no doubt that lots of Holmes' cases went like this - problem, two minutes of investigation, solution - but it's not that interesting to read about.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best Holmes Pastiches Ever!

Suffice to say, a great mystery,! I shall not ruin it for those not familiar, but please do read it. I promise you no disappointment!

[Iami Menotu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weak plot

[Don Bhupi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if it's the book or if my interest in detective thrillers is decreasing gradually but I found it quite uninspiring.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded down.

[Steven Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written story where Holmes has been asked to help find a borrowed book stolen. Its not just any book but a one off copy of Shakespear.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet but very good.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done. Captured the authentic feel of Sherlock Holmes short stories. A fun mystery to boot.

[Misa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

[Marybeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story didn't have the same tension and anticipation as what I expect from a Holmes story. I was able to figure out the entire thing after just a few pages, which was disappointing.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Surely you must know that in criminal cases handled by me, it is never the obvious solution that is the correct one".

As a Arthur Conan Doyle afficianado, I know most of the books/stories about Holmes are quite flattering to his originator. This is the case here. Holmes, being Holmes, gets down and dirty to figure out the case. And, it's another score for Open Road Media who should be thanked for taking early OCR'd books and making them readable once again.

[Reading Fury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good mystery plot with an interesting twist including Shakespeare. Makes you wonder who your friends really are. I read this in a single sitting.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has just about all you could want from a pastiche, which is fitting since it's the first true pastiche of Sherlock Holmes. I hope Conan Doyle liked it when he received his copy from Starrett.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stars

I almost gave it 3 stars because it is brief and obvious. I expect Sherlock stories to be more mysterious and subtle.

[Oliver Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great example of a very nice pastiche ;-) loved it!

[Diana Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather short story but enjoyable and I thought the author was very true to the iconic character Sherlock Holmes and his side kick Dr. Watson. An easy read but very entertaining.