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The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide
Despite being more than 120 years old, Sherlock Holmes remains unchallenged as the world’s preeminent fictional detective, with fans new and old continually delving into his files of baffling mysteries. This expansive volume gathers together an astounding range of Holmesian information that can be read cover to cover or dipped into at random. There are synopses of the four novels and 56 stories; profiles of such beloved characters as Mrs. Hudson (the great detective’s long-suffering landlady) and Lestrade (the perennially baffled Scotland Yard detective); essays discussing themes such as Holmes’s attitude to women and his use of contemporary forensic science; and highlights of the various renditions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories on screen, including interviews with actors who have played the roles of Holmes and Watson. These articles are accompanied by such visual aids as the classic work of Sidney Paget—who illustrated the original stories in the Strand Magazine—stills from film and television adaptations, cover artwork for the various editions published over the years, and contemporary photographs of the settings of various stories. Filled with facts and little-known trivia, this is a captivating account of literature’s most famous detective.
224 pages
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 15, 2012
Filled with tons of photos, interviews with TV/movie and pastiche personalities, and a brief synopsis of all 60 of the short stories and full length novels from the canon, this is an A+ companion book for all the Sherlock geeks fans out there.
This is not a serious scholastic study of the SH canon; rather it serves to whet and/or nourish the interest in the mystique of this legendary fictional detective for the casual to more investedgeek fan.
I learned a few things I hadn't previously known (for instance,
This is not a serious scholastic study of the SH canon; rather it serves to whet and/or nourish the interest in the mystique of this legendary fictional detective for the casual to more invested
I learned a few things I hadn't previously known (for instance,
May 8, 2017
Para todo fanático es una lectura imprescindible. No sólo viene con una reseña de todos los relatos del canon holmesiano (ilustrados con grabados de la época), sino también con mucha información extra (muchísima trivia, detalles de la vida de Conan Doyle que habrían influido en la escritura de Holmes, fotografías, dibujos, información sobre las series de televisión, películas y actores que han interpretado a Sherlock o Watson, en su gran mayoría trabajo de verdaderos expertos en Holmes, ojo con la de Mark Gatiss sobre cómo hicieron para adaptar los relatos en la última Sherlock de la BBC). Muy buena.
May 18, 2018
The well-known saying, “Elementary, my dear Watson!” immediately springs to mind on hearing the title of Daniel Smith’s enlightening work on the great detective, The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide. That the contents of this guide are anything but elementary, however, becomes clear when one sees how wide-ranging and diverse they are.
A thoroughly revamped edition of a work that was first brought out five years ago, the Companion is a joy and pleasure to behold, being as much a wonderfully illustrated gift book as an incisive entrée into the late Victorian world of crime and detection, in fictional form, as probed by a passionate lifelong Holmes devotee. The backbone of this book is provided by one-page synopses of all four of the Sherlock Holmes novels and fifty-six of the short stories in Doyle’s canon, given in as close chronological order as is possible, given the extensive debate that has arisen around such an issue. Although there are a few spoilers in these overviews, by and large they can comfortably be read not only to remind one of plots that might otherwise be eluding one’s memory, but as an enticement, in the case of those who have not, as yet, read the works, to, in fact, do so.
Interspersed with the plot summaries, and starting with a social and political chronology of the years 1879 to 1903 (being the period from Holmes’s first reported case “The Musgrave Ritual” until his official and final exit from the pages of detective lore, at least as emanating from the pen of Doyle), a wealth of information is presented regarding the background to the author’s prolific output, and as to the form that such literary masterpieces have taken since. That Doyle’s writings have stood the test of time, and are still, even in this digital age, as revered as ever bears witness to the universality of his themes, the depth of his characterization, and the abiding interest of his subjects, which readily translate into modern-day sagas, as can so clearly be seen in the riveting, and still currently aired, television series, Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
It is only fitting that a biographical sketch of Doyle be followed by profiles of his key creation, the Great Detective Sherlock Holmes, as well as of the recorder, and narrator, of the tales, his close friend, Dr. John H. Watson. The latter discussions are of great interest to anyone coming to Doyle’s work for the first time, as it is seldom that one’s reading is likely to be in chronological order, and with each story revealing only those aspects of the characters that are relevant to the plot, a broader, more comprehensive view of their backgrounds should prove to be enlightening as to the context from which the characters emerge. Additional insightful chapters that fill one in on different aspects of the character of Holmes include “Holmes as the Detective-Scientist,” “Scotland Yard and the Police,” “Holmes and his Pleasures,” “Dr Joseph Bell,” “Holmes in the Town and in the Country,” “The Literary Lineage,” “Holmes and the Curious Affair of the Missing Woman,” and “Holmes and his Politics.” Pieces on Holmes’s arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, as well as on other villains, provide valuable insights into the darker side of Holmes’s world, revealing how they came to be so “irredeemably horrible.” The publication of Doyle’s work is covered in chapters on the Strand Magazine, and on the illustrator (one of many) Sidney Paget’s contribution to the lasting image of Holmes and Watson out on a case. In covering Holmes’s legacy, Smith explains how he has become such a celebrity that he is now known as “one of the world’s most enduring ‘brands’.” Curator of the Sherlock Holmes Collection at Marylebone Library in London, Catherine Cooke discusses her concern with the Collection, as well as with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
In a series of interviews entitled “Holmes and Me,” actors of stage and screen who have been intimately involved with producing their own accounts of the Great Detective and his constant companion, Dr. Watson, reveal how they became interested, and involved, in doing so. Those interviewed include Roger Llewellyn, Philip Franks, Douglas Wilmer, David Burke, Edward Hardwicke, and Mark Gatiss. In addition, the writer and military historian Caleb Carr discusses how he coped with the challenges encountered in writing a new Holmes story, and Bert Coules, head writer on the BBC project to dramatize Doyle’s entire cannon for radio for the first time, shares how he transformed literature into the spoken word for public consumption. This aspect of The Sherlock Holmes Companion is rounded off with a comprehensive discussion of “Holmes on Stage, Screen and Radio.”
Overall, this is a wonderful volume, and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who is keen on Doyle and his abiding creations, the Great Detective and his comrade in arms, Dr. Watson. Want to know whether The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide will be a valued addition to a friend’s library? Check their DVDs, and if they have a box set of Sherlock Holmes or Sherlock, you’ll know that it most definitely will.
A thoroughly revamped edition of a work that was first brought out five years ago, the Companion is a joy and pleasure to behold, being as much a wonderfully illustrated gift book as an incisive entrée into the late Victorian world of crime and detection, in fictional form, as probed by a passionate lifelong Holmes devotee. The backbone of this book is provided by one-page synopses of all four of the Sherlock Holmes novels and fifty-six of the short stories in Doyle’s canon, given in as close chronological order as is possible, given the extensive debate that has arisen around such an issue. Although there are a few spoilers in these overviews, by and large they can comfortably be read not only to remind one of plots that might otherwise be eluding one’s memory, but as an enticement, in the case of those who have not, as yet, read the works, to, in fact, do so.
Interspersed with the plot summaries, and starting with a social and political chronology of the years 1879 to 1903 (being the period from Holmes’s first reported case “The Musgrave Ritual” until his official and final exit from the pages of detective lore, at least as emanating from the pen of Doyle), a wealth of information is presented regarding the background to the author’s prolific output, and as to the form that such literary masterpieces have taken since. That Doyle’s writings have stood the test of time, and are still, even in this digital age, as revered as ever bears witness to the universality of his themes, the depth of his characterization, and the abiding interest of his subjects, which readily translate into modern-day sagas, as can so clearly be seen in the riveting, and still currently aired, television series, Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
It is only fitting that a biographical sketch of Doyle be followed by profiles of his key creation, the Great Detective Sherlock Holmes, as well as of the recorder, and narrator, of the tales, his close friend, Dr. John H. Watson. The latter discussions are of great interest to anyone coming to Doyle’s work for the first time, as it is seldom that one’s reading is likely to be in chronological order, and with each story revealing only those aspects of the characters that are relevant to the plot, a broader, more comprehensive view of their backgrounds should prove to be enlightening as to the context from which the characters emerge. Additional insightful chapters that fill one in on different aspects of the character of Holmes include “Holmes as the Detective-Scientist,” “Scotland Yard and the Police,” “Holmes and his Pleasures,” “Dr Joseph Bell,” “Holmes in the Town and in the Country,” “The Literary Lineage,” “Holmes and the Curious Affair of the Missing Woman,” and “Holmes and his Politics.” Pieces on Holmes’s arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, as well as on other villains, provide valuable insights into the darker side of Holmes’s world, revealing how they came to be so “irredeemably horrible.” The publication of Doyle’s work is covered in chapters on the Strand Magazine, and on the illustrator (one of many) Sidney Paget’s contribution to the lasting image of Holmes and Watson out on a case. In covering Holmes’s legacy, Smith explains how he has become such a celebrity that he is now known as “one of the world’s most enduring ‘brands’.” Curator of the Sherlock Holmes Collection at Marylebone Library in London, Catherine Cooke discusses her concern with the Collection, as well as with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
In a series of interviews entitled “Holmes and Me,” actors of stage and screen who have been intimately involved with producing their own accounts of the Great Detective and his constant companion, Dr. Watson, reveal how they became interested, and involved, in doing so. Those interviewed include Roger Llewellyn, Philip Franks, Douglas Wilmer, David Burke, Edward Hardwicke, and Mark Gatiss. In addition, the writer and military historian Caleb Carr discusses how he coped with the challenges encountered in writing a new Holmes story, and Bert Coules, head writer on the BBC project to dramatize Doyle’s entire cannon for radio for the first time, shares how he transformed literature into the spoken word for public consumption. This aspect of The Sherlock Holmes Companion is rounded off with a comprehensive discussion of “Holmes on Stage, Screen and Radio.”
Overall, this is a wonderful volume, and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who is keen on Doyle and his abiding creations, the Great Detective and his comrade in arms, Dr. Watson. Want to know whether The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide will be a valued addition to a friend’s library? Check their DVDs, and if they have a box set of Sherlock Holmes or Sherlock, you’ll know that it most definitely will.
January 25, 2018
Fantástica “guía elemental” para los seguidores del universo Sherlock Holmes. A mi parecer, muy completa. Habla del canon y resumen bastante bien todas las novelas y todos los relatos sin desvelar el final de cada uno. Analiza los perfiles del creador Sir Arthur Conan Doyle y de diversos personajes: Sherlock, Dr. Watson, Scotland Yard y la policía, el profesor Moriarty…
También analiza a Holmes como detective y científico, se habla de sus placeres, del linaje literario, de sus archienemigos, de su relación con la política y del legado de este detective entre otras cosas.
Además la guía está acompañada de ilustraciones originales de la época y de diversas entrevistas a personas que interpretaron o interpretan a Holmes o algún personaje directamente relacionado con él tanto en el escenario, en pantalla o en la radio.
Como dije al principio, es una guía muy completa que no puede faltar en la biblioteca de un seguidor de las aventuras del Gran Detective.
También analiza a Holmes como detective y científico, se habla de sus placeres, del linaje literario, de sus archienemigos, de su relación con la política y del legado de este detective entre otras cosas.
Además la guía está acompañada de ilustraciones originales de la época y de diversas entrevistas a personas que interpretaron o interpretan a Holmes o algún personaje directamente relacionado con él tanto en el escenario, en pantalla o en la radio.
Como dije al principio, es una guía muy completa que no puede faltar en la biblioteca de un seguidor de las aventuras del Gran Detective.
November 13, 2017
Sin ser fanático de la más célebre saga detectivesca, este libro es el compendio más completo posible del universo creativo de Conan Doyle y sus personajes de una manera ágil, con capítulos cortos y muchas imágenes. Repasa el cánon holmesiano (las 5 novelas y 54 relatos) y profundiza en cada uno de los personajes, temáticas y polémicas icónicas en torno a Holmes y su fiel compañero Watson. Particularmente interesantes me parecieron los capítulos dedicados a "los placeres de Holmes" y a la ausencia de mujeres en su vida. En suma, un libro recomendado tanto para expertos en el tema como para quienes quieran introducirse al tema.
June 7, 2011
See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/1...
October 2, 2017
Es un libro imprescindible en la biblioteca de todo buen seguidor del genial detective. Los puntos más valiosos son los análisis psicológicos de los personajes, así como entrevistas a los actores que han encarnado al personaje, pequeños reportajes sobre las revistas, editores, etc. El lenguaje es claro y en tono de primera persona, así que siendo informativo tiene al mismo tiempo cierta calidez y familiaridad. La edición en español y el arte gráfico son muy notables
April 26, 2023
Does what it says on the label: it's an elementary guide to the Matter of Baker Street-- and a very fine one, too. Includes summaries of all 60 tales from the canon, interviews with actors and screenwriters, a biography of Doyle, and much more.
Definitely recommended for fans of Holmes and Watson; also a good introduction for those just starting to explore the oeuvre.
Definitely recommended for fans of Holmes and Watson; also a good introduction for those just starting to explore the oeuvre.
September 20, 2017
Divertido, interesante, con un montón de curiosidades que todo Sherlock debería (o ya) saber.
October 26, 2017
The BEST GUIDE for Sherlock Holmes Stories. :D
April 2, 2023
Perfecto para los ratas fanáticos de Sherlock Holmes
December 3, 2012
Very interesting book. It's been at least twenty years since I read any Sherlock Holmes books. This was a good refresher. This book is filled with tons of information and pictures. It gives a great history of Arther Conan Doyle and the writing of the stories. That said, this is not an in-depth exploration of Holmes or Doyle. Just a quick history of the character in his various incarnations, from print, to stage, to big screen and to television. If nothing else Smith's book will whet your appetite for more and give you a direction as to where to look.One thing I found annoying was the quick sketches of each individual case. Smith does do tell you who-done-it --- ever. He just outlines the beginning, skims the middle and tells you that Sherlock solved the case. It teased more than it informed. That got old after a while.
December 6, 2013
Here's a book with the right title. This is a "companion" to most things Sherlockian.
"Read" is a relative term. I will come back to this compendium in the future. Though it doesn't include Cumberbatch's Holmes or the current TV show, "Elementary," it has a fine grasp on the rest, since ACD put pen to paper.
If you want summaries of the ACD stories, it has that. If you want profiles of the key ingredients: Watson, Hudson, etc., it has that. If you desire interviews with authors influence by Sherlock Holmes, it covers that.
What I liked, particularly, was that Smith "got" the nature of Holmes and is able to share with us some of the interesting influences down through literature including those related to Colin Dexter's Morse, Henning Makel's Wallander, and House as portrayed by Hugh Laurie.
This is much better than it had to be for a coffee table book.
"Read" is a relative term. I will come back to this compendium in the future. Though it doesn't include Cumberbatch's Holmes or the current TV show, "Elementary," it has a fine grasp on the rest, since ACD put pen to paper.
If you want summaries of the ACD stories, it has that. If you want profiles of the key ingredients: Watson, Hudson, etc., it has that. If you desire interviews with authors influence by Sherlock Holmes, it covers that.
What I liked, particularly, was that Smith "got" the nature of Holmes and is able to share with us some of the interesting influences down through literature including those related to Colin Dexter's Morse, Henning Makel's Wallander, and House as portrayed by Hugh Laurie.
This is much better than it had to be for a coffee table book.
November 3, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this. I have been a Holmes (& Watson) fan for a long time. After reading this companion, I'm going to have to go back and read all the canon yet again. Daniel Smith summarizes all of the stories without giving away any of the endings, and pulls in lots of good outside info as well. There are interviews with actors and writers, pictures of illustrations from many editions, and articles about the spread of Holmes as a cultural icon, all very engagingly written. If you've never read the original Sherlock Holmes stories, this is a good introduction, and incentive to do so. If you've read them many times, it is an enjoyable addition to the multitudes of commentaries on the Doyle canon.
January 4, 2014
A nice introduction to the world of Holmes, Watson, and Doyle. For a new-comer to the Canon, this will give you a LOT of useful background,
including synopses of the stories (sans spoilers). For the more learned reader of the Great Detective, this is a nice review which still may show you some things you didn't know. Of special interest are some short discussions of what various actors who played Holmes or other characters on stage or screen, thought of the personalities, stories, and other particulars of their experiences. A fine addition to any Sherlockian library.
including synopses of the stories (sans spoilers). For the more learned reader of the Great Detective, this is a nice review which still may show you some things you didn't know. Of special interest are some short discussions of what various actors who played Holmes or other characters on stage or screen, thought of the personalities, stories, and other particulars of their experiences. A fine addition to any Sherlockian library.
June 3, 2012
Reference Book
October 3, 2013
Mostly skipped the recaps of the Sherlock stories, but loved the interviews and written articles about the characters, Conan Doyle, and story aspects!!! Great companion!! :)
March 11, 2014
For anyone who loves to read (or watch) Sherlock Holmes, this is the book of books. It is filled with information about everything Sherlock Holmes.
January 9, 2018
Wonderful - just wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews