Sherlock Holmes: In His Own Words and in the Words of Those Who Knew Him

by Barry Day

Overview

A delightful biography of Sherlock Holmes that draws on quotations from Dr. Watson

More has been written about Sherlock Holmes in a century than was written about Shakespeare in four. It is a testament to the enduring allure of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective that long after his last bow, devotees of Baker Street have continued to produce stories, films, and television works based on the life of Sherlock Holmes. Nothing new can match the brilliant intensity of the original, however, and so Barry Day has produced this invaluable biography of Holmes, drawn from the words of the man who knew him best: Dr. John Watson.
 
From their first days at 221B Baker Street to the tragedy at the Reichenbach Falls, and continuing on after Holmes’s glorious resurrection and retirement, Day compiles every detail given in the original stories about the life of the great detective, hoping to solve the most baffling mystery of all: What sort of man was Sherlock Holmes?
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504016483
Publisher:	MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Publication date:	07/28/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	229
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Barry Day is an English scholar and writer. He received his MA from Balliol College, in Oxford, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his cultural contributions to the United Kingdom and the United States. Day is the author of The Letters of Noël Coward. He splits his time between London, Palm Beach, and New York.
Barry Day is an author, scholar, and expert on legendary playwright Noël Coward. Born in England, Day was educated at Oxford and made his name writing impeccably researched books on legendary wits Dorothy Parker, Oscar Wilde, and P. G. Wodehouse. In addition to producing a series of mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes, Day wrote the book considered to be the definitive Holmes biography, Sherlock Holmes: In His Own Words and the Words of Those Who Knew Him. He is also the editor of the essential The Letters of Noël Coward.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
	"Young Stamford"	1
	221b: "Some Nice Rooms"	7
	"The Introspective Dreamer of Baker Street"	25
	"My Brother Mycroft"	77
	"You Know My Methods"	85
	"Here Are the Regulars"	125
	The Napoleons of Crime	147
	The "Insoluble Puzzle"	171
	"My Dear Watson"	181
	"His Last Bow"	215

Editorial Reviews

More has been written on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in one century than on Shakespeare in four, notes editor Day (Sherlock Holmes and the Seven Deadly Sins Murder). His own contribution is a reconstruction of Holmes's life from details provided in Arthur Conan Doyle's accounts of this most famous of fictional detectives. Day covers such aspects as the meeting of Holmes and Watson, life on Baker Street, Holmes's personal life and habits, his methods of solving crimes, and the various characters with whom he interacts. The volume, consisting primarily of quotes from the novels and stories, is richly illustrated with art by the great Holmes portrayers, especially Sidney Paget, whose works predominate. In most cases, Day is conscientious in noting the sources for his observations, although occasionally he drops a tantalizing detail, such as the possible date of Holmes's death (1957), without including its origin. Since the book lacks an index or formal documentation, it will be of interest primarily to public rather than academic libraries.-Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

For a handy biographical reference on the Baker Street sleuth, Barry Day has organized quotations from the original story.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine - Jon L. Breen

Anyone who loves the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stories will greatly enjoy this fresh perspective on their lives and times.

Foreword Reviews - Alan Couture

A biography of Holmes from a contemporary perspective, based solely on the actual stories, not on other speculative writings.

The Mysterious Bookshop Newsletter

A clever and refreshing idea. An easy and entertaining read.

Sherlock

There can never be enough of the world of Sherlock Holmes, and Barry Day's volume certainly provides an enticing introduction to that world.

Nicholas Utechin

Filled with revealing passages about the great detective.

Forecast

to the stubbornly immortal Sherlock, the detective of his own creation who had even then taken the popluar imagination of England and America by storm.

Virginian Pilot - Bill Ruehlmann

A thoroughly enjoyable books, filled with fun quotes and beautiful full page illustrations which take up close to a third of the book and are well worth the price on their own.

The Strand Magazine

to the stubbornly immortal Sherlock, the detective of his own creation who had even then taken the popluar imagination of England and America by storm.
— Bill Ruehlmann

Virginian Pilot

For a handy biographical reference on the Baker Street sleuth, Barry Day has organized quotations from the original story.
— Jon L. Breen

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Anyone who loves the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stories will greatly enjoy this fresh perspective on their lives and times.
— Alan Couture

ForeWord Reviews