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Sherlock Holmes: In His Own Words and in the Words of Those Who Knew Him
A series of first-hand accounts of the famed author's life, Holmes offers a unique perspective on the creator of Detective Sherlock Holmes.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2003
18 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Barry Day
56 books11 followersBarry Day was born in England and received his MA from Balliol College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Trustee of the Noël Coward Foundation and was awarded the Order of the British Empire “for services to British culture in the U.S.A.” He lives in New York, London, and Palm Beach.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 12, 2019
Excellent little reference work for the Holmesian writer.
My copy was from the library. Will be buying a copy for my reference library.
My copy was from the library. Will be buying a copy for my reference library.
September 17, 2023
Interesting organization of Doyle's texts to provide a quality bio of the great detective.
December 12, 2022
Mostly pretty ordinary observations, followed by supporting quotes, possibly useful to someone unfamiliar with the literature.
February 27, 2013
There have been many quote books about Sherlock Holmes. Quotable Sherlock and The Complete Guide to Sherlock Holmes two offerings with many fine sayings from the Canon. And notables such as Vincent Starrett, William Baring Gould, Michael Hardwick and Michael Pointer have offered up biographies of the world’s first consulting detective. Barry Day approaches these matters in a new way.
Sherlock Holmes is a book that gives us a non-chronological biography of Holmes and the people around him, through extensive quotes from the original stories. You would be hard pressed to find a page that doesn’t have at least four quotations, and most have more than that. Holmes, his methods, Baker Street, the police and villains, and of course, Watson, are all discussed using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own words about them all. It is fun to read speculative biographies of Sherlock Holmes. But Day does not venture into that field. He tells us what is definitively known, and he does it with lines from Holmes, Watson and the rest of the Canon’s cast of characters.
The book also looks great, with over sixty black and white illustrations. There is a plethora of Paget, and we see Frederic Dorr Steele’s work before even the introduction. But George Hutchinson’s depiction of the first meeting between Holmes and Watson is shown. We see Watson and the nefarious Baron Gruner as depicted by Howard Elcock. Original drawings by Charles Doyle (Sir Arthur’s father), D. H. Friston, Walter Paget (Sidney’s brother) and J. Frank Wiles can be found as well. There’s something about reading Doyle’s words with an illustration in the vicinity.
Barry Day’s book is one of the most refreshing I have come across. Combining a biography with a quotation text creates a new look at an old subject. That is no easy task in the world of Sherlockiana. I enjoyed the look and flow of this book.
Sherlock Holmes is a book that gives us a non-chronological biography of Holmes and the people around him, through extensive quotes from the original stories. You would be hard pressed to find a page that doesn’t have at least four quotations, and most have more than that. Holmes, his methods, Baker Street, the police and villains, and of course, Watson, are all discussed using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own words about them all. It is fun to read speculative biographies of Sherlock Holmes. But Day does not venture into that field. He tells us what is definitively known, and he does it with lines from Holmes, Watson and the rest of the Canon’s cast of characters.
The book also looks great, with over sixty black and white illustrations. There is a plethora of Paget, and we see Frederic Dorr Steele’s work before even the introduction. But George Hutchinson’s depiction of the first meeting between Holmes and Watson is shown. We see Watson and the nefarious Baron Gruner as depicted by Howard Elcock. Original drawings by Charles Doyle (Sir Arthur’s father), D. H. Friston, Walter Paget (Sidney’s brother) and J. Frank Wiles can be found as well. There’s something about reading Doyle’s words with an illustration in the vicinity.
Barry Day’s book is one of the most refreshing I have come across. Combining a biography with a quotation text creates a new look at an old subject. That is no easy task in the world of Sherlockiana. I enjoyed the look and flow of this book.
July 20, 2014
This is a very handy reference for devotees of Arthur Conan Doyle's canonical Holmesian fiction. Barry Day has organized the descriptions from the four novels and 56 short stories for easy access and contemplation. Chapters focus on the meeting of Holmes and Watson, 221b Baker Street itself, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Holmes's methods, regular characters (Lestrade, Gregson, Jones, etc.), Holmes's male nemeses, Holmes and women, Dr. John Watson, and the retirement years. Day offers little new to readers, but the convenience of this resource can't be overestimated. By using Conan Doyle's own words, Day succeeds in offering a very useful "Bible" for Sherlockians everywhere.
May 8, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this "biography" on Sherlock Holmes...I was reminded of many facts, etc. that I had forgotten. ::sigh:: I can only hope he really did exist...:) (The only literature crush I've ever had was on Holmes--not even Edward Cullen!)
January 1, 2020
An excellent companion book on Sherlock Holmes. The author has diligently sifted through the Sherlock Holmes series to painstakingly build up this character sketch.
A must read for all Sherlock Holmes fans!!
A must read for all Sherlock Holmes fans!!
March 5, 2014
Interesting. Would have liked it more if I read more Holmes stories, rather than loving the BBC TV show and the Robert Downey Jr. movies.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews