The Bedside Companion to Sherlock Holmes

by Dick Riley, Pam McAllister

Pssst! Did you know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes originally went by another name? That the character of Holmes was actually based on a real person? That Conan Doyle never described Holmes as wearing a deerstalker hat, and never, ever had him speak the words, "Elementary, my dear Watson"?

The Bedside Companion to Sherlock Holmes is simply packed with fascinating facts, unexpected insights, and fresh observations about Conan Doyle, Watson, and everything that has anything to do with the world's greatest detective.

With nearly 200 period and contemporary illustrations, this smashing smorgasbord of Holmesiana reveals surprising information about London in the days of gaslights, hansom cabs, and grizzly murders. It celebrates the great portrayers of Holmes on stage, screen, and television, and explains why Conan Doyle chose to kill his hero in one story, only to resurrect him nine years later.

Where can you discover everything you always wanted to know about Sherlock Holmes? It's no mystery. Just crack open this book and start reading.

Genres: Mystery, Nonfiction, Crime, Reference

216 pages

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEST PARTS:
Learning the behind-the-scenes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle; Sherlock Holmes initially had a different first name; ACD's interest in spiritualism; oddities and discrepancies in each of the stories.

WORST PARTS:
Some chapters were extraneous and off-topic. I had no interest in currently existing Sherlock Holmes societies around the world, but as a fair reference material, I was able to skip what I had no interest in.

REVIEW:
I learned a good deal about British nobility rankings and monetary denominations in Victorian England. All in all, a very worthy and pertinent accompaniment to the Holmes canon.

[Amy Dashwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun trivia companion to one of my favorite literary characters. Loved all the facts and tidbits scattered throughout, as well as the history of the Sherlock Holmes stories and their publication. I felt the games and crossword puzzles were a little stupid and rather a waste of space, but all in all a fun and enjoyable read for a Sherlock Holmes fan. (I thought I knew the canon pretty well, but I learned a lot!)

[Hasselhh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the chapters on fanclubs around the world are just pointless to me, but the page-pr-stroy part is great to get an overview over the huge canon. Finally the chapters about the time Holmes "lived" in, Conan Doyle's life and analysis of the character Sherlock Holmes and his crimes, are amazing!

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good starting point but not for reference. I read the entire thing in about 3 hours and learned nothing new. If this had been one of the first sherlockian references I read then it would have been perfect.

[Yingtai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love all the trivia. There are chapters on Victorian life, Sherlock Holmes clubs, film, pastiche. And also sidebars on discrepancies in the stories. It's not the kind of thing you plan to read or reread, but it's all good stuff.

[Maggie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book that gives a little history concerning both the publishing of the S.H. Stories and world in which the stories take place. It's out of date and doesn't include recent trends but some nice light reading for casual Doyle fans.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice Sherlock info here, but nothing that hardcore Sherlock-philes wouldn't already know.

[Lydia E Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off very interesting but started to drag about halfway through. Given that there have been at least three screen adaptations of Holmes since publication, it felt a bit like a time capsule.

The summaries/factoids about each story were great, but the author made many off the historical details rather dull. The section on Sherlockian Societies was far too long, especially now that the internet has changed things so much. If I cared more I'd look them all up.

Having just finished rewatching Elementary, it was especially fun to see how many little details I hadn't realized were adapted from Canon.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Capsule entries for each of the stories and novels, 1 page each, with some discrepancies and oddities noted. Articles about Victorian life, Holmes’s London, actors who have played Holmes (dated) and/or Watson, Holmes’s real-life precursor Joseph Bell, Holmes’s drug use, Sherlock Holmes Societies around the world, about Watson, parodies & pastiches, dogs, ranks of nobility, the money at the time (pounds, shillings and pence) and what it’s worth, cases mentioned in passing but not detailed. Interesting but doesn’t incline me to reread Holmes.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great one, but very informative.

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me the desire to read the entire canon again. Guess I will go searching through my stacks of books and ferret them out.

[Marya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a commentary -- what was the political situation at the time of one of the politically charged stories, for example. But instead of any detailed context for the stories, this book has just lots of trivia. I guess it's useful to know what a hansom cab is, but I don't need a matching game involving all the titles that refer to colors.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely done guide to the writings of Conan Doyle. A good introduction for anyone just starting to enter into the world of the Baker Street detective. And, a nice review for old-time irregulars. Of particular interest is a well-done short biography of Doyle.

[Deep Hollow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book - good background on the character and times of Sherlock Holmes.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good .

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A must for people who know a little or a lot about Sherlock Holmes the character,the stories & his creator.

[Rachel Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read for the amateur Sherlockian like myself!!

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly a sleep inducing book. A must read if your favorite daughter buys it for you.