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The Game Is Afoot: The Enduring World of Sherlock Holmes
Fans of Sherlock Holmes will delight to investigate Victorian England, a world where crimes large and small abound and where dark corners and well-lit drawing rooms alike hide villainy.
Through the enduring eye of Sherlock Holmes, noted historian Jeremy Black traces how Holmes and his milieu evolved in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and how Holmes continues to resonate today. Black explores the context of Doyle's ideas and stories and why they struck such a chord with readers in London, and ultimately the world. He portrays a complex man with eclectic interests, from soccer to spiritualism, from cricket to divorce-law reform. Standing twice for Parliament, Doyle was a committed meritocrat whose political experiences and values were expressed through his writings.
Reading the Holmes stories through the lens of Doyle's multifaceted career, Black throws fresh light on the values expressed in them and how Holmes would have been perceived at the time. He traces the imperial strand in the Holmes stories and his treatment of America and Europe. Drawing on a masterly knowledge both of Doyle's era and his writings, this entertaining and wide-ranging book uses the Holmes stories to bring Victorian England to vibrant life, a world where crimes large and small abound and where dark corners and well-lit drawing rooms alike hide villainy. Holmes was a hero and an inspiration for many a character who redefined the idea of detection and the detective, a private man of great public importance. Here is his story.
Through the enduring eye of Sherlock Holmes, noted historian Jeremy Black traces how Holmes and his milieu evolved in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books and how Holmes continues to resonate today. Black explores the context of Doyle's ideas and stories and why they struck such a chord with readers in London, and ultimately the world. He portrays a complex man with eclectic interests, from soccer to spiritualism, from cricket to divorce-law reform. Standing twice for Parliament, Doyle was a committed meritocrat whose political experiences and values were expressed through his writings.
Reading the Holmes stories through the lens of Doyle's multifaceted career, Black throws fresh light on the values expressed in them and how Holmes would have been perceived at the time. He traces the imperial strand in the Holmes stories and his treatment of America and Europe. Drawing on a masterly knowledge both of Doyle's era and his writings, this entertaining and wide-ranging book uses the Holmes stories to bring Victorian England to vibrant life, a world where crimes large and small abound and where dark corners and well-lit drawing rooms alike hide villainy. Holmes was a hero and an inspiration for many a character who redefined the idea of detection and the detective, a private man of great public importance. Here is his story.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2022
5 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Black
425 books197 followersJeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 9, 2024
This is a detailed, borderline scholarly, study of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life and times. What you get out of it depends to some extent on what you bring to it.
Chapters 2 and 3 deal with London and rural England. The pages are flooded with hundreds of British place names. No maps and little in the way of explanation or context is provided to aid readers who are not native Brits. I was thoroughly lost and almost gave up on the book. It wasn’t worth the effort to try to read it while constantly consulting British maps from another source.
Fortunately, after that the chapters turned to topics that were more familiar to me and interested me more. These included society, politics, Empire, the Americas, Europe, Holmes' legacy, and the many sequels and adaptations. I enjoyed those chapters and was glad I hadn’t given up.
The author is a historian, and the 200-page book is dense with material. It covers Sherlock Holmes, Doyle’s non-Holmes writings, and other writers of the period and genre. Sherlock fans and those with an interest in his Victorian era should find this worthwhile reading. 2 stars for the British geography chapters, but 4 stars for the rest.
Chapters 2 and 3 deal with London and rural England. The pages are flooded with hundreds of British place names. No maps and little in the way of explanation or context is provided to aid readers who are not native Brits. I was thoroughly lost and almost gave up on the book. It wasn’t worth the effort to try to read it while constantly consulting British maps from another source.
Fortunately, after that the chapters turned to topics that were more familiar to me and interested me more. These included society, politics, Empire, the Americas, Europe, Holmes' legacy, and the many sequels and adaptations. I enjoyed those chapters and was glad I hadn’t given up.
The author is a historian, and the 200-page book is dense with material. It covers Sherlock Holmes, Doyle’s non-Holmes writings, and other writers of the period and genre. Sherlock fans and those with an interest in his Victorian era should find this worthwhile reading. 2 stars for the British geography chapters, but 4 stars for the rest.
June 11, 2022
3.5 stars.
March 24, 2022
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Rowman & Littlefield for an advanced copy of this new studio on the enduring legacy of Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes was a man of his time and and more than 130 years later has become a man of all times. Under the guidance of his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes was a Victorian Englishman, loyal to Queen and country and proud of his place and his nation's place in the world. Under other writers he's become a devoted husband, a foe of Dracula and Mr. Hyde, gone into therapy under Dr. Freud, been an uncle to a superspy, taught a young Bruce Wayne the skills of detection, and even suffered dementia near the end of his life in Sussex. Whatever his writer, whatever his era Holmes will still be able to look at a speck of dirt and a worn patch on a sleeve and deduce both the home, marital status, occupation and what a person had for breakfast. In his book The Game Is Afoot: The Enduring World of Sherlock Holmes, Jeremy Black traces the origins, influences and legacy of the world's greatest consulting detective.
The book begins with a general history of the character and his creator's world. The rise of Empire and industrialization, the rise of crime and anarchy groups, plus the numerous attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, which gave a sense of lawlessness in the air. Professor Black explores London and its influences, from high society to the lowest levels, the architecture and design of the city and the outer areas, describing life for both the urban and rural inhabitants. Sir Arthur is discussed, as he grew older he took on more interests, and many different views that slowly worked into his writing and influencing the character and his stories.
The writing is very good, full of details about Doyle, the world of Holmes, and how both were viewed by England and the world. Knowledge of the stories is helpful, but that is to be expected when reading a title like this. Professor Black has a very keen eye for finding and elaborating on many interesting facts and his discussions and explanations are very informative and clear.
A delightful book for Holmesians with many diverse subjects about the detective, his era and his continuing popularity. Readers can see how a character so different and yet so of his ear could continue to gain new readers and new fans, not just based on who might be portraying Holmes in a given production, either Henry Cavill, Benedict Cumberbatch, Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett come to mind, it is always the character, Holmes, that people latch onto. His knowledge, his fairness, his strong sense of right against wrong, and his friendship with John Watson has made him a character people wished was real, wanted to emulate, and for some write and continue his adventures. As a long time fan of Holmes and the numerous pastiches that have followed I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Recommended for mystery fans, both new to the stories and old hands.
Sherlock Holmes was a man of his time and and more than 130 years later has become a man of all times. Under the guidance of his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes was a Victorian Englishman, loyal to Queen and country and proud of his place and his nation's place in the world. Under other writers he's become a devoted husband, a foe of Dracula and Mr. Hyde, gone into therapy under Dr. Freud, been an uncle to a superspy, taught a young Bruce Wayne the skills of detection, and even suffered dementia near the end of his life in Sussex. Whatever his writer, whatever his era Holmes will still be able to look at a speck of dirt and a worn patch on a sleeve and deduce both the home, marital status, occupation and what a person had for breakfast. In his book The Game Is Afoot: The Enduring World of Sherlock Holmes, Jeremy Black traces the origins, influences and legacy of the world's greatest consulting detective.
The book begins with a general history of the character and his creator's world. The rise of Empire and industrialization, the rise of crime and anarchy groups, plus the numerous attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, which gave a sense of lawlessness in the air. Professor Black explores London and its influences, from high society to the lowest levels, the architecture and design of the city and the outer areas, describing life for both the urban and rural inhabitants. Sir Arthur is discussed, as he grew older he took on more interests, and many different views that slowly worked into his writing and influencing the character and his stories.
The writing is very good, full of details about Doyle, the world of Holmes, and how both were viewed by England and the world. Knowledge of the stories is helpful, but that is to be expected when reading a title like this. Professor Black has a very keen eye for finding and elaborating on many interesting facts and his discussions and explanations are very informative and clear.
A delightful book for Holmesians with many diverse subjects about the detective, his era and his continuing popularity. Readers can see how a character so different and yet so of his ear could continue to gain new readers and new fans, not just based on who might be portraying Holmes in a given production, either Henry Cavill, Benedict Cumberbatch, Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett come to mind, it is always the character, Holmes, that people latch onto. His knowledge, his fairness, his strong sense of right against wrong, and his friendship with John Watson has made him a character people wished was real, wanted to emulate, and for some write and continue his adventures. As a long time fan of Holmes and the numerous pastiches that have followed I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Recommended for mystery fans, both new to the stories and old hands.
April 15, 2022
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 and later became a ship doctor who through no fault of his own had too few patients. But he enjoyed writing and was great at it. As the supporter of his family, he needed to write to make money and in 1887 thankfully created iconic detective Sherlock Holmes. If Doyle knew how widely known and beloved his Holmes still is...!
Jeremy Black writes about the history of England through the eyes of Holmes in his various adventures, of which we all have favourites. Doyle draws from the "real" Victoria, warts and all which I really appreciate. Black refers to other writing greats such as Wilkie Collins, Thomas Hardy, George Gissing, Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie (whose characters occasionally mention Holmes). I very much enjoyed how Black refers to details of Doyle's stories and characteristics of Holmes and others to reinforce his points.
Doyle also utilized new innovations such as fingerprinting and profiling in his stories. As other writers did, he drew on London buildings, notorious thick fog and horse traffic to add atmosphere and realism. He also included stereotypes, geography, military figures, medical advances and the huge influence of the Empire (such as Australia, Canada and India). Interestingly, as Doyle was Scottish classes mattered less to him than to many others. Included at the end of the book is a section about adaptations, including recent modern re-tellings. In my mind Sherlock Holmes = Jeremy Brett.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes (in my mind he's a real person) ought to get your hands on The Game Is Afoot. Black has clearly meticulously researched all things Sherlockian to write this informative, entertaining and absorbing book
My sincere thank you to Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book!
Jeremy Black writes about the history of England through the eyes of Holmes in his various adventures, of which we all have favourites. Doyle draws from the "real" Victoria, warts and all which I really appreciate. Black refers to other writing greats such as Wilkie Collins, Thomas Hardy, George Gissing, Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie (whose characters occasionally mention Holmes). I very much enjoyed how Black refers to details of Doyle's stories and characteristics of Holmes and others to reinforce his points.
Doyle also utilized new innovations such as fingerprinting and profiling in his stories. As other writers did, he drew on London buildings, notorious thick fog and horse traffic to add atmosphere and realism. He also included stereotypes, geography, military figures, medical advances and the huge influence of the Empire (such as Australia, Canada and India). Interestingly, as Doyle was Scottish classes mattered less to him than to many others. Included at the end of the book is a section about adaptations, including recent modern re-tellings. In my mind Sherlock Holmes = Jeremy Brett.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes (in my mind he's a real person) ought to get your hands on The Game Is Afoot. Black has clearly meticulously researched all things Sherlockian to write this informative, entertaining and absorbing book
My sincere thank you to Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book!
February 18, 2023
This detailed analysis of late Victorian Britain anchors the Conan Doyle creation in the real world of his time … though dealing mainly with the Sherlock Holmes canon, other works by the author (as well as that of contemporaneous authors) are addressed … amazing in its specificity …
by
Arthur Conan Doyle
by
Arthur Conan Doyle
March 3, 2022
Jeremy Black evokes Victorian England to paint a picture of Doyle’s experiences while writing the famous Sherlock stories. While the history surrounding the epoque is undoubtedly fascinating, readers may find the presentation here a bit dry when compared to the evocative mysteries of the master sleuth. For true, deep Sherlock fans only.
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Rowman & Littlefield and Netgalley**
**I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Rowman & Littlefield and Netgalley**
July 30, 2023
This is a very good overview of the historical context of the Sherlock Holmes stories. This is not a work of literary criticism but rather a thematic analysis of the Holmes canon, focusing on subjects such as politics, society and empire. Jeremy Black writes entertainingly and provides a lot of relevant information concisely. Strongly recommended.
February 24, 2022
Historian Jeremy Black does a fantastic job that any "Sherlockian" would be happy to own and enjoy. Excellent source for a character study of how Sherlock Holmes became the most popular sleuth of all time.
June 17, 2022
This was a good overview of London in the time of Holmes both physically and in less tangible ways.
August 8, 2023
Erudite historian discusses all things Holmes. A little too much detail on foreign wars.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews