The Art of Sherlock Holmes: West Palm Beach - Special Edition

by Phil Growick (Editor), Thomas A. Turley (Contributor)

The Art of Sherlock Holmes is a totally unique experience. Imagine a dozen or more of the finest artists in the U.S. creating art for some the best new short stories written by some of the finest Holmes authors in the world. Each artist has envisioned their version of one story specifically selected for them. All stories and art in one large, hardcover, coffee table presentation volume. This first edition features artists from West Palm Beach, Florida. Future editions will be global, with participating artists contributing from all over the world. The Art of Sherlock Holmes was conceived and curated by Phil Growick, himself a renowned Holmes author.

252 pages, Hardcover

First published May 22, 2019

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Sherlock Holmes is a book with a wonderful blend of art and fiction combined. Don’t think I have ever come across anything similar and I thought it was certainly a very novel idea.

Before each short story, there is brief introduction to the author and artist, of which, the artists art work is then shown before the short story begins. It was very interesting to read the story of which inspiration was given from the art work. I have no doubt that many writers could have given different interpretations from the same art work.

Admittedly it’s some time since I have read a Sherlock Holmes novel, mainly reading them in my teens. Certain things tend to stay with you though, one being the camaraderie between Holmes and Watson. A few of the authors especially bring this to life, especially the short story Two Plus Two which did have me chuckling at the banter between the two.

The Art of Sherlock Holmes is a book that will appeal to art lovers as well as fans of Sherlock Holmes. It’s great to see two different types of art, coming together and bringing to life a much loved fictional character. It would certainly be very eye catching on someones book shelf as well as be a conversation starter. Very enjoyable.

My thanks to Caroline at Bits About Books for inviting to be part of the blog tour and for an advanced readers copy. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

[Michelle Ryles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of short stories but these stories were so easy to read that I actually had to check a few times that the stories in this book were written by different authors. I've only read a few Sherlock Holmes books in my youth but I wouldn't have been surprised to find that these stories were actually written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; the authors are all clearly massive fans of Sherlock Holmes to be able to bring the world's greatest detective back to life for fans new and old.

At the beginning of each story there is a piece of artwork inspired by the story that follows it and although I have absolutely no idea about art, I found myself looking forward to seeing the different styles and interpretations in each piece. Even better and absolutely perfect for Sherlock Holmes stories is that some pieces of art have little puzzles hidden within them. I wish I could have spent more time solving the puzzles but it's definitely a good excuse for me to pick it up and read the book again.

I absolutely loved the little biographies of the author and artist that preceded each story. For a total art ignoramus like me, this really piqued my interest and made me look at the art for far longer than I would usually be inclined to do.

Whilst I couldn't pick a favourite story among all the fabulous tales in the book, I have to give particular mention to The Stolen Relic by David Marcum. This story stands out for me because it raised my eyebrows in surprise as I read the origins of hanging stockings on the fireplace at Christmas and of how Scotland adopted St Andrew's Saltire Cross. I love books that send me running off to check things on google and teach me things that I didn't know

The Art of Sherlock Holmes is a very unusual book to review, mainly because seeing the art on kindle doesn't have the same effect as it would in a beautiful hardback coffee table book, which is the medium that would do it the most justice. It is an absolute must-read for fans of Sherlock Holmes, but for kindle loving Holmes fans it is well worth upgrading to the physical copy of the book to fully experience The Art of Sherlock Holmes.

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulously stunning idea! Although I've only read the digital version of the stories, the attraction to see the hardcover version is a strong pull.

There have been many versions of Sherlock Holmes tales over the years, both in cinema and television, but nothing can beat reading the dry wit in the unspoiled tales. This is a wonderful collection - entertaining and enthralling as well as completely enjoyable.

However, the artwork attached to each story brings a new dimension and I have no doubt that this is the perfect gift for any Sherlock fans! What a fabulous book to have gracing any lounge! This is not the kind of novel which gets hidden away on a bookshelf, but rather is one to flick through at your leisure and enjoy over and over again. First in a planned series which, in my humble opinion, it will be a much coveted collection. Best of all, sales support several charities. The writing lend itself to a 5* read - the rest is a wonderful bonus!

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a stunning book…..

I’ve always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes and I love these new stories of Sherlock and Dr Watson.

Each of the stories are written in the style of Conan Doyle with a fresh feel but still have the soul of Sherlock and are accompanied by wonderful artwork.

At the beginning of each story is an introduction to the author and to the artist, whose art illustrates the tale….such a unique style.

This Is a real coffee table book, one to have on display to enjoy the art and the stories together……a must for any fan of Sherlock Holmes and his adventures.

My thanks to Caroline Vincent at Bits About Books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my free ebook which I received in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Caz C Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2019...

This was definitely a new experience for me, I love Sherlock Holmes but hadn’t read anything outside of Doyle and I was not disappointed! This combined the talents of not just some amazing writers but some amazing artists as well. I loved that each short story was accompanied by an art piece and I’m not sure that I could have picked a favorite one. The artists really worked well to represent the story offered by the authors and it’s evident that they were all great matches for each other.

It was actually hard to remember sometimes that these were different authors, they all kept true to Doyle in one way or another and they all flowed together so well that you just got lost in the world of Holmes and Watson. They don’t get too flashy with Sherlock solving the crimes and it all seems plausible with how he figures things out, nothing is too big for the short story structure.

Speaking of Holmes and Watson, there was plenty of our favorite duo but there was even a Moriarty story! That was a pretty fun one to read but I have to say my favorite story was 'The Adventure of the Paradol Chamber' by Paul W. Nash. Thank you to the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review with a difference in that this is the first time I have reviewed a book, which has combined short stories with works of art. I must admit that at first I wasn’t sure if the book had been a bit ambitious in nature and I wasn’t sure that the concept would work. I needn’t have worried though because the short stories and the artwork combine to make one hell of a book, which I thoroughly enjoyed but more about that in a bit.
I have an embarrassing confession to make. Yes another one but then regular readers of my blog will know by now that I regularly make confessions. Much to my shame, I have only read one Sherlock Holmes story and even that was only a children’s version of ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’. I only picked it up because I was going through a phase of reading anything with a dog in the title. Other than that the nearest I have got to any further Sherlock Holmes’ stories is watching the television movies or series featuring Basil Rathbone or latterly Jeremy Brett. I enjoyed the television films so I thought that I would enjoy reading the stories in this book just as well. I wasn’t wrong either because I thoroughly enjoyed reading and looking through ‘The Art Of Sherlock Holmes’ but more about that shortly.
I love that although the stories in this book are short, they contain a fully story. I know that might sound a bit silly but let me explain. At times when I read a short story, the story is often rushed or a certain something is missing, but not in this case because like I say the stories in this book are perfectly contained. I also loved the fact that I could dip in and out of this book when I had some time to kill without having to re-read bits to find out where you got up to. A short story in this book doesn’t take that long to read but you are left feeling as if you have read a much longer story.
‘The Art Of Sherlock Holmes’ is well written. I love the fact that Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson are doing what they do best and that’s solving impossible crimes. Well impossible to us but not to them. Each of the short stories drew me in and I found that I was trying to carry out my own little investigations but I couldn’t seem to interpret the evidence in the same way as Sherlock Holmes did. Sherlock Holmes has one hell of a brilliant and analytical brain, which is the envy of many- me included.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading and appreciating ‘The Art Of Sherlock Holmes’. This book will stay fresh in my mind for a long time to come thanks to the combination of art and fiction. I would recommend it to other readers and in particularly to those who enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes books. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

[Chelle W (teaandplottwists) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful unique mix of art and stories.

The book starts with an introduction, and then gives us 15 Sherlock Holmes short stories….but the difference is that each book is accompanied by a unique piece of art! Each artist was given a story and produced a wonderful piece of art; their interpretation of the story. At the beginning of each story is a bit about the author, and information on the artist too.

I loved this – the art is fantastic and the stories are short and easy to read at times when you may not have long to read a whole book. Each short story is long enough to give us a brilliant story and take us on an adventure with Holmes; and it’s great to have some many different stories following on from each other. I started reading with the idea that I would read one and then come back to it later, but got sucked in and ended up reading 2 or 3 at a time!

The book is beautiful and is definitely worth investing in….a book that you can come back to time and time again. Whether that is to read a quick story or just browse through the art! I would definitely recommend this book!

[Alex Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a privilege to be invited to view this book. Its certainly unlike anything i've ever read or reviewed. Before this i have been used to some very modern Holmes Tales, and also recently read something very traditional.

This is something very different and it's a stunning piece of work by Phil Growick. Each story is accompanied by fabulous art work. Some of the stories really are great and I found some of the Art to be Fantastic and it was truly interesting to see different artists interpretations of Holmes.

I particular loved the Anthony Hernandez , Bobby Franco and Bruce Halander Art Pieces. Each short story is its own small piece of Holmes in it's own right.

If your a real Holmes Fan, this is a wonderful Compendium to add to your collection, if your not then it's a just wonderful thing to look at, read and appreciate

A truly beautiful work full of love and care and so much more.

Im so pleased to be have been given the opportunity to enjoy it.

[Simon Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very excited with this book as not only does it bring together some great stories about Sherlock Holmes it also includes beautifully drawn art by some top artists.
The stories themselves have previously been released in other books by MX Publishing but they way they are brought together and introduced with the art makes this a very different book to previous ones.
Each story starts of with a short introduction to the author and artist before the artists picture is shown and then the story. I really liked reading about each artist at the start of the story and the artwork is all really good.
I was sent a copy of the book in PDF form instead of hardback so the artwork is not the best, although I can only imagine how nice they will look in a nicely glossy hardback book as the colours in them are all very dynamic.
Overall this is a brilliantly unique book, and the artwork really stands out to make this so.

[Julia Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love art almost as much as I love reading, so it is not a surprise that I wanted to read The Art of Sherlock Holmes. The book is certainly a unique experience for lovers of the great detective. In between the short stories about Holmes are wonderful reproductions of paintings done by well known artists from Florida. Each artist has offered their own unique vision of one of the short stories in the book. The stories and art are combined into a fabulous tribute to Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The concept for the book was conceived by Phil Growick, who is himself a notable Holmes author. For anyone who is a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle this is truly a gift of the finest order.

[Caroline Venables · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan so was very excited to be able to read this book. I can imagine writing a story using such a huge literary character must be quite daunting, but this isn’t evident in the book. All the stories are worthy of the character and feel very authentic.

This is a beautiful book, which is a collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories written by several different authors. There are sixteen different stories in the book and each of them is introduced by a art work that is inspired by the following story.

The art works are all very diverse and use different methods to convey the themes of the stories that they are portraying.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of short stories (pastiches) and artworks, which the the stories were some what based on.The volume was delightful and quite enjoyable!!