Sherlock Holmes Handbook

by Christopher Redmond

Here, in one convenient volume, is everything needed for the enjoyment of Holmess canon.

Genres: Reference

338 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time, the ubiquitous Wikipedia and numerous other online sources simply didn’t exist, as far as we were concerned. In those days, there were handbooks. Researchers used to create solid and reliable databases that could be consulted and referred to.
In these 'post-truth' times, Sherlock Holmes seems more real than Jack the Ripper. To alleviate such fuzzy state of mind, I periodically plumb the depths of my shelves and bring out actually credible sources.
This was one such book. It illuminates the world of Sherlock Holmes by discussing numerous short topics, all of which have been broadly classified under the following heads~
* Introduction;
1. The Canon;
2. Characters and Adventures;
3. Sherlock Holmes in Print;
4. Arthur Conan Doyle;
5. The Victorian Background;
6. Crime and Punishment;
7. Holmes in Modern Media;
8. Fans and Followers;
9. A Lasting Influence;
* Appendix: The Sixty Tales.
This is a reliable and handy book that truly acts as a ready-reckoner.
Highly recommended.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sherlock Holmes Handbook" by Christopner Redmond. Excerpt
4* More readable than the average text-reference. Starting with the books, delving into minutiae, 12 pages extremely small print index fortifies the reference usability. I picked a few books to follow up, besides Laurie King. Sections detail author, characters, setting, themes, film, radio, cartoons, fans, games as early as 1904, music as early as 1897 Scottish Students' Song Book. In youtube video, check out the illustrations, her shirt logo, the cat in the bottom left corner, that was enough Sherlockian-Holmsian filk for me. Filk Songs
Enthusiasts go deep and wide ...

"All it takes to start a Baker Street Irregulars scion society is two people and a bottle; in a pinch, you can dispense with one of the people" - Jon Lellenberg

Typos: and1912 p233, beenintermittent p300 (Unfortunately I burned out, starting to skip the overwhelming encyclopaedic wealth of data.)

This second edition was released before the successful Downey-Law film. Hopefully, enthusiasm leading to a movie sequel, and internet, Wiki, gutenberg free work proliferation will encourage a third edition.

[Clare Moseley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, but an incredibly dry book. It took me so long to read it because I could only do it in small fits.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great source of info on Holmes canon.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A must for any Sherlockian library” and similar phrases seem to appear a bit too often. The Canon can be enjoyed without 100 accompanying books next to it on your shelf. However, there are a few books that stand head and shoulders above the rest and really should be read to greatly increase your Holmes experience.

Christopher Redmond has written one of them. The Canadian, who maintains the internet’s leading Sherlock Holmes website, Sherlockian.net, is a well-known Sherlockian and Baker Street Irregular. A Sherlock Holmes Handbook is thoroughly researched, covers a broad array of topics and, most importantly, is easy and enjoyable to read.

The first chapter is an overview of the Canon, mentioning when each tale was first published (individually or as a collection) and touching on a highlight or two per story. It is assumed that anyone who buys this book is already familiar with the Holmes adventures, so it is in chapter two that the real fun begins.

'Characters and Adventures' kicks off with a discussion of Holmes and his characteristics (“Holmes is moody, alternating periods of energy, enthusiasm and prodigious work with periods of languor, inactivity and apparent depression”). Of course, Watson is next, then the supporting characters, including Professor Moriarty, (“in short….the modern day Jonathan Wild”), Irene Adler, Mycroft Holmes and a few others. There is mention of the unpublished cases, 221B Baker Street, the great detective’s methods and overtones in the stories (from the hero archetype to sexual motifs). I was a fan of this book by the end of chapter two.

Chapter three focuses on Sherlock Holmes in print and touches on sources for the tales and characters, original publication of the stories, copyrights and illustrations. This is a pretty interesting chapter for the layman in these areas.

If you haven’t read an in-depth biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (several are reviewed in this site’s Reference Works section), you can’t go wrong with chapter four, which is about Doyle and includes a nice discourse on his military and spiritualist interests.

I am not an expert on Victorian England. I learned a great deal from chapter five, titled 'The Victorian Background'. Redmond talks about the rail system, London itself, public affairs, social classes, newspapers, telegraphs, European affairs and more. You really get a sense of how the times played a part in the Holmes tales. He finishes with a nice ‘Who’s Who’ of the era. My understanding of the backgrounds throughout the Holmes adventures was enhanced by what I learned here.

The next chapter discusses crime and punishment in Victorian England, along with a brief overview of detective fiction.

Chapter seven is a nice potpourri called 'Holmes in Modern Media.' Pastiches, parodies, films, television, theater, radio and other forums are covered. Of course, this is by no means a complete listing of these areas, but it is a wide ranging look that includes specifics such as a listing of the Rathbone films, a mention of the Solar Pons books and the musical, Baker Street. You’ll find something of interest in this chapter.

'Fans and Followers' discusses Sherlockiana and the birth of Societies. Even the most knowledgeable Sherlockian and Holmesian will likely find some nugget of information here.

The final chapter touches on such topics as Holmes museums, memorials, statues, restaurants and the like. Redmond mentions Holmes in advertising and references from other literature. He finishes with a talk about the appeal of Sherlock Holmes. Isaac Asimov says “How wonderful to have intelligence made so plain and so straightforward that any reader can feel that he might be that intelligent, too, with a bit of luck.” Well put!

There is an appendix with all of the tales from the Canon listed with their Christ abbreviations, and a thorough index.

If I could only pick one tome from my reasonably-sized Holmes library to accompany the Canon, it would be Christopher Redmond’s A Sherlock Holmes Handbook. No other one volume adds so much to my enjoyment and experience of Doyle’s sixty tales. I can think of no higher recommendation.

[Rozonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a source of pure enjoyment for all Sherlockian freaks like me. A comprehensive guide to everything Holmes-related up to the 1990s-history, society, characters, pastiches, movies,plays...and an extense, serious biography of Conan Doyle. Seriously and intelligently written, I would love a new edition that gets to the Internet era, with all its valuable sources.

Edited October 2010- I have found out that such a new edition exists and I'll be sure to get it ;)

[Portia Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the early part of this book, which contained a lot of interesting material about the actual Sherlock Holmes stories, characters, settings and background, as well as an overview of late Victorian era in which the stories are set.

But I must admit to skimming a very great deal in the later part of the book, which covered the cult of Sherlock Holmes, and was more about Sherlock Holmes clubs and societies, and the books and studies written by their members.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and nicely written examination of the character in various media, especially the original canon. It's been a few years since I spent any time with my Complete Sherlock Holmes; this book makes we want to revisit the stories.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped some sections that were not of interest, but overall, I quite enjoyed this handy reference to all things Sherlock.