The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes: Essays on Victorian England, Volume 3

by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

“Slop shops," "scissorizing," "agony aunts," and "foolscap"

These and other Victorian references appear throughout the original Sherlock Holmes tales.  Everyday words and phrases to the Victorian may have modern day readers running to references books. These twenty-four short essaysexplain and explore various aspects of life mentioned in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, providing modern-day insight into the nineteenth century world. 

Originally shared through various Sherlockian newsletters around the world, they are gathered here for the first time. The collection also includes the essay "Evil Women: The Villainesses of the Canon," originally published in the Baker Street Journal.

    “Be prepared to be enlightened and entertained!” 

      -  Carole Nelson Douglas,  Bestselling Author

Genres: History, Nonfiction

142 pages, ebook

Published November 16, 2020

About the author

Liese Sherwood-Fabre grew up in Dallas, Texas and knew she was destined to write when she got an A+ in the second grade for her story about Dick, Jane, and Sally’s ruined picnic. After obtaining her PhD from Indiana University, she joined the federal government and had the opportunity to work and live internationally for more than fifteen years—in Africa, Latin America, and Russia. Returning to the states, she seriously pursued her writing career and has published several pieces. Her debut novel Saving Hope, a thriller set in Russia, is now available from Musa Publishing. You can follow her upcoming releases and other events by joining her newsletter at www.liesesherwoodfabre.com, or visiting her Facebook, Twitter, or Bebo accounts. You can also contact her at liese@liesesherwoodfabre.com.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting read. This is well researched and it covers life during the time period of Sherlock Holmes. It was interesting and entertaining to learn how life was different.

[Florence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Lise Sherwood-Fabre. Every chapter is full of information about the context and period of Sherlock Holmes. One does not get tired of the information, the relevance of the descriptions and the accuracy of the details make it a clever and intriguing read.
I received a copy , all opinions are mine.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book for all those who are interested in the background of Sherlock Holmes era or just in the Victorian age.
Well written and documented, and fun to read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

[Liese Sherwood-Fabre]

RETURN TO 1895

Learn about “scissorizing,” “slop shops,” and “foolscap” as you delve into Sherlock’s London.

“[T]he details of Victorian life and their connection to Sherlock Holmes…is extensive.” - The Big Thrill

“These essays are gems of fascinating research and insight on the culture that produced Sir Arthur's most notable character.” - Carol Nelson Douglas

Consistently a bestseller in Amazon's Victorian Literary Criticism category.

Find it at your favorite bookseller here: https://books2read.com/u/mBonjM

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting essays about aspects of life during the Victorian era that a person may not know about and didn’t even know that they might want to know if they are a fan of Sherlock Holmes. But you don’t have to be a fan to find these articles interesting as they deal with everything from scrapbooking, violins and clothing. Plus, they are short so the reader can cover several at a time or just what’s necessary to understand the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes by Liese Sherwood-Fabre is a fantastic deep dive into life in Sherlock Holmes days. This was truly a joy to read. It was interesting to see the changes of the world over time from book to book. Candle lights changed to gas, then some to electric. The coroner and police roles changed dramatically. Women began to be included in the suspect lists and those punished for crimes (although probably not equally).

I would have loved to have read Dr Sherwood-Fabre's book before reading the Sherlock Holmes series as it gives such a clear perspective into what the times were like. I need to read more by this author and then go back to the classics and see how much more I enjoy Sherlock and Watson and all the cast of characters!

I thank Little Elm Press LLC and NetGalley for the digital copy and the opportunity to read this fun and interesting book. Opinions here are all my own.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an enamoured Sherlock Holmes fan, these snippets were such fun to read! Each chapter is a brief description of different aspects of the time, linking them to Sherlock Holmes mysteries, sort of appetizers to whet the reader's appetite...with great success in my case. I've read loads and loads of fiction and nonfiction books written in/about the Victorian era so was thrilled to devour even more! It's obvious that the author took pains and a lot of research in writing this book.

When making notes on this delightful book, I started marking my favourites. Well, after a short time the realization dawned nearly all are my favourites! But some which stand out are the dangers of gas lamp lighting, the invention of scrapbooking and cardboard, information about venomous jellyfish and snakes (both of which I love!), yellow fever and telling time.

My plan is to read the other volumes of this set (this is #3). The author definitely left me wanting more! This book would be ideal for Sherlock Holmes readers as well as those interested in the Victorian era. When reading each chapter I envisioned the corresponding stories and Jeremy Brett episodes on TV.

My sincere thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this charming and fascinating book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

[Charity Bartley Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading this book is takes you back in time and enters readers into the world of a favorite fictional character as well as real Victorian England. It is an amazing feeling. The topics she researches and details in this Volume are fantastic. I learned many things I had been eager to know more about in Victorian England and some things I didn’t know I wanted to know, which was interesting. If you like learning, if you are interested in history and if you enjoy Sherlock Holmes then this is the book for you. Even if you only like one of these elements then I recommend this book. It is well-written and thought out with interesting information included.

An example is when she pulls an element out of one of the Sherlock Holmes books such as The Hound of the Baskervilles and discusses it. A chapter mentions lighting and the historical changes of candles, oil lamps and incandescent electric lamps as well as more. She adds details of the historical elements with what is mentioned in the Holmes story then gives more details which brilliantly brings Sherlock’s world and history alive in her own book. Her book of essays is a wonderful idea and this is just one reason why. I recommend this book.

[Mimia The Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a short collection of essays about things that appear on Sherlock Holmes’ novels that would be unknown for a normal reader (read as one who is not an expert in Victorian England).
I found the tidbits of information interesting but I was left wanting as they were really just very short essays that can serve as a way to start a little research on the subject but don’t do much on their own. If used for this last purpose it can work very well as there are several footnotes with links for online information (which is much easier to access for a common reader than specific books that a library or bookstore may or may not have) but I had a problem with those as there were several links to Wikipedia and even one to The Sun which strikes me as unprofessional and made me doubt the seriousness of the book (am I being a snob? Maybe...).

All in all, a very good research starter for when something picks your interest or if a doubt arises when reading some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works (it would be even better if the book had an index where the subject matter was linked to the books in which it appears).

I received an early copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short essays (usually very short) on various items or groups of note to be found throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. They range from snakes to clothes, paper to women, and often give interesting tidbits of information that would have been known to Holmes' readers at the time, but have lost significance or today are unknown to the general public. Well researched, these brief essays are excellent for reading in between other things, lunch breaks, etc when you only have a little time to dip into a book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes: Essays on Victorian England, Volume 3 (ebook)
by Liese Sherwood-Fabre
The fans almanac of the Arthur Conan Doyle's work. It reads like one of Sherlock Holmes memo graphs, the specific nature of the resources and information held in the stories, for the crime rate of women in the series to the nature of wood used in a violin. It is amazing how progressive Doyle was how much his stories were on the edge of technology of the time, from Phonographs, to finger prints, and everything in between. Each segment is another aspect of the stories that allows the reader to learn more of Doyle's insight and all the parts and pieces of his stories.

[Thieving Magpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge Sherlock-fan, I had to apply for this book and I am sincerely grateful that I had the possibility to read it.
It was not what I expected. I expected some Sherlock-realated stories. What I got was Sherlock-realated facts. It was by no means bad, but most of the tropics the essays were written on didn't necessarily peak my interest. The one about the villainesses in canon was probably my favourite, while the one about violins...
The research and writing was well done, but the topics weren't what I was hoping for.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Holmes Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought these essays may be more about Sherlock, but that wasn't the case. I was pleasantly surprised. Each essay topic was introduced by way of how it related to a Sherlock story and then proceeded to explain the point of interest in real life.I

There is a wide variety of subjects covered and each essay is quite short, so one can read several at once. The books is also designed so you can skip around if you want.

This History major and Sherlock can enjoyed the book.

Thanks NetGalley for a copy for An honest review.

[Thieving Magpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge Sherlock-fan, I had to apply for this book and I am sincerely grateful that I had the possibility to read it.
It was not what I expected. I expected some Sherlock-realated stories. What I got was Sherlock-realated facts. It was by no means bad, but most of the tropics the essays were written on didn't necessarily peak my interest. The one about the villainesses in canon was probably my favourite, while the one about violins...
The research and writing was well done, but the topics weren't what I was hoping for.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Raymond Baudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights to the context in which the Sherlock Holmes stories were set. A collection of essays make up this short book. At times I wished there was a little more depth but this would make a great Christmas present for a Holmes fan.

[Susanna Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting read, Ive always bee fascinated with Victorian times, this book bought it into crystsl clear focus.

Liese Sherwood-Fabre has thoroughly researched her subjects and explains her topics extremely well.

I will be looking for more books by this author

[Louise Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy these insights into the world of Victorian London. A digestible size, this book offers fascinating snippets delving into parts of Holmes’ world.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of wish the essays had been longer.

[Outlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another very short collection of interesting historical essays on life, as it was, in the London of Sherlock Holmes era. If you are interested in the historical side of Sherlock's life and times then this is for you.