Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World

by H.R.F. Keating

Blends victorian historical and cultural events with the intimate portrait of Holmes provided by Dr. Watson to fashion a biography of this enigmatic character

Genres: History, Mystery

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1979

About the author

Henry Reymond Fitzwalter Keating was an English writer of crime fiction most notable for his series of novels featuring Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID.

H. R. F. KEATING was well versed in the worlds of crime, fiction and nonfiction. He was the crime books reviewer for The Times for fifteen years, as well as serving as the chairman of the Crime Writers Association and the Society of Authors. He won the CWA Gold Dagger Award twice, and in 1996 was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for outstanding service to crime fiction.

Series:
. Inspector Ghote
. Harriet Martens

Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World, H.R.F. Keating offers the historical context for Sherlock Holmes's personal story. This is not so much a fictional biography as a historical scene-setting; Keating combs through Arthur Conan Doyle's canonical texts and teases out all we can learn about Holmes from the historical clues provided. For example, Keating explains why portraits of General Gordon and Henry Ward Beecher might be hanging in the sitting room of 221B Baker Street, and what these two figures represented to men such as Holmes and Watson (two very different men and two very different conclusions). Keating also pulls out particular quotes from Holmes that indicate his worldview and concerns, and puts these in their context; the concept of atavism, for instance, gets full treatment from Keating, from its portrayal in popular fiction and drama (Jekyll and Hyde, anyone?) to its relevance to contemporary forensic science (such as the anthropological measuring system of Alphonse Bertillion). One of the greatest strengths of this volume is its 136 illustrations, which Keating puts to very good use. (I loved the sample of the Agony Column from The Times!)

Keating's insights on Holmes's paradoxical nature are compelling. He makes a persuasive case for why Holmes was both a creature of his era and an extraordinary figure who transcended it. In short, this is a brief but densely-packed and thoroughly enjoyable intellectual history of Holmes and his moment in history, a rewarding read for anyone interested in the Great Detective or the Victorian/Edwardian periods in general.

[Bill Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keating provides an interesting perspective that forms the focus of his book: Holmes as a man torn between upholding traditional Victorian values and following his nature - that of a man largely free of the conventions of his time, possessed with exploring the new and exotic and driven to obey his beliefs and passions. The scorn and invective marshaled by the herd in the face of anything different are less than dust motes to one who personifies "singleness of purpose". That purpose of course is ensuring justice for those victimized by predators and thereby upholding a Victorian code that is often more emblematic than real.
Tons of Holmes criticism, standard and metric, have been published, so why read this one? Keating's research and insight provide some perspectives not typically found in Holmes criticism. Selected stories are examined in the context of their historical backgrounds and examine how Holmes' behavior is often a combination of rejecting the mores of his own era and asserting his own moral principles to effect an outcome congruent with his belief in what Victorian/Edwardian England should be.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I have always felt that one of the strengths of these stories is that they all stand alone and do not necessarily need to be read in any particular order. In this book, Professor Keating puts paid to that notion by treating Sherlock Holmes as a real historical figure and writing a biography of the world's greatest consulting detective. Interestingly, Keating uses only the facts discerned from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, no biographical details are made up for the sake of making the writing easier (at least as far as I can tell). Keating also does an admirable job placing Holmes into his time, attempting to show how Holmes was affected by day-to-day events and great historical occurrences that happened at the same time as Sherlock Holmes's exploits were taking place. The result is a very interesting look at Victorian and Edwardian Age Britain through the life of this very familiar fictional character. Of the flaws I found in the book is that it reads like an extended essay, with no natural chapter breaks to break the narrative up. Also, I would have liked more of Keating's thoughts on Holmes's opium addiction and violin playing. Although the book is of course about Holmes, I also would have liked more about sons of the great supporting characters, notable Scotland Yard Inspector Lestat. Regardless, it is a very interesting read for Sherlock Holmes devotees.

[Siri Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World explores the famous stories through the lens of Victorian-Edwardian sensibilities, placing the Sherlock Holmes narratives in their historical context to elucidate how Holmes himself conformed, did not conform, changed and adapted in time with the changing of the world around him. This book plays The Great Game, i.e., it works on the premise that Holmes was a real historical figure, and it does a great, credible job of it. The book is also full of solid discussion and delightful tit-bits of information on the late Victorian period, in London and beyond. While I don't agree with all of the author's interpretations of Holmes' character, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that the book actually contains some speculation on Holmes' sexuality and his relationship with Watson, which is a really rare thing to find in Holmesian scholarship! A great little read with wonderful illustrations.

[Josef Komensky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book for everybody who likes / loves the the eternal sleuth Sherlock Holmes his trusted Dr. Watson and history of the Great Britain in general.

The author concentrate on the times, the culture and the history of the realm of Sherlock Holmes.

So for example who he could meet in that time?
What would he read in the news?
What would he be interested in ?
What kind of philosophy or science theory will he follow?

It is little big book the the world and the times of end of 1800 untill first world war.

It is good to mention that the writer of this book is a holder of two golden dagger awards himself.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra - In Search of Professor Moriarty:
An excerpt from HRF Keating's 'Sherlock Holmes - The Man and His World' where we learn about the background of the great detective's nemesis - the 'Napoleon of Crime' - Professor James Moriarty.

Despite being a fictional character, Sherlock Holmes warranted this biography, first published in 1979. Keating confined himself to the authenticated facts that Doctor Watson alone reported.

Moriarty wrote a substantial scientific text, which gained him a university place. He is likened to the philosopher Nietzsche.

Read by Alan Moore.

[Holly Keimig · Rating 3 out of 5]

2015 50 Book Reading Challenge: A book written by an author with your same initials

This category was one of the hardest to find for me. Thankfully Sheri saved the day and found this on her shelves and let me borrow it. It was interesting in places, but rather weirdly set up. There were no chapters at all and it kind of read like a thesis paper. I couldn't really tell if the author thought Sherlock really lived or if he just wished it was the truth. The pictures and illustrations really helped me "see" the world of Sherlock Holmes. This would be a good reference book but a bit hard to read straight through.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully insightful read into, as the title suggests, both Sherlock Holmes and the era he 'lived' in. Accompanied with gorgeous illustrations (by Sidney Paget among others), and a very handy index, I'd certainly buy a copy of my own if I ever came across one.

[Traveller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful. Nice illustrations too. I must remember to give this a proper review. I have a first edition copy in impeccable condition.