“If you love Sherlock Holmes, you’ll love this book…the best account of Baker Street mania ever written.”—Michael Dirda, The Washington PostWinner of the Agatha Award for best nonfiction workEdgar Award finalist for best critical/biographical workAnthony Award finalist for best critical/nonfiction work Everyone knows Sherlock Holmes. But what made this fictional character, dreamed up by a … Holmes. But what made this fictional character, dreamed up by a small-town English doctor in the 1880s, into such a lasting success, despite the author’s own attempt to escape his invention?
In From Holmes to Sherlock, Swedish author and Baker Street Irregular Mattias Boström recreates the full story behind the legend for the first time. From a young Arthur Conan Doyle sitting in a Scottish lecture hall taking notes on his medical professor’s powers of observation to the pair of modern-day fans who brainstormed the idea behind the TV sensation Sherlock, from the publishing world’s first literary agent to the Georgian princess who showed up at the Conan Doyle estate and altered a legacy, the narrative follows the men and women who have created and perpetuated the myth. It includes tales of unexpected fortune, accidental romance, and inheritances gone awry, and tells of the actors, writers, readers, and other players who have transformed Sherlock Holmes from the gentleman amateur of the Victorian era to the odd genius of today. From Holmes to Sherlock is a singular celebration of the most famous detective in the world—a must for newcomers and experts alike.
“Riveting…[A] wonderfully entertaining history.”?TheWall Street Journal
“Celebrates the versatility of one of fiction’s most beloved characters…terrific.”?TheChristian Science Monitor
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Everything you ever wanted to know about Holmes, Watson, and the cast of character (including A. C. Doyle) would created and maintained the fictional world.
From Holmes to Sherlock is a large book, with a massive scope, but don’t let that scare you. Mattias Boström has created a wonderful narration of the history of one of the greatest literary characters of all time. With short chapters Mattias draws the reader along on an entertaining walk through history.
Ostensibly the book is about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who created Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Mattias takes us back to the early days in Doyle’s life, touching on his time in medical school (learning under Dr. John Bell), and then his foray into medicine in Portsmouth. Luckily for the literary world the young Dr. Doyle had few clients, which allowed him time to write. Mattias explores Doyle’s early writing career, including many of his other (non-Holmes) short stories and novels. The book explores the first publications of Sherlock Holmes, and the growing interest in the character not only in England but in Europe and America. Throughout the narrative of Doyle, Mattias weaves in the stories of other people – from artists, publishers, and actors – who would be so influential in making Doyle’s creation become the phenomenon that he has become.
One aspect of Mattias’s book that I enjoyed was that he continues the story of what has happened with Sherlock Homes after Conan Doyle’s death. We get to see, even while Conan Doyle was alive, how the character of Holmes grew at times beyond the author’s ability to control him. And after his death, the control and attempt to profit from Holmes passed onto Conan Doyle’s heirs. Learning about all of the intrigue, the ideas, and the infighting among Conan Doyle’s sons was quite interesting and added a lot to my knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes legend.
Mattias continues his narration through to the most recent iterations of Sherlock Holmes in print and in TV and movies, touching on the BBC series Sherlock, and the Sherlock Holmes movies staring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. But throughout the narration we learn about the other great actors who have portrayed Holmes and Watson, each doing their part to make the character their own while attempting to retain the feel of the original Conan Doyle stories. We also learn about many of the Sherlockian fan clubs that have sprung up around the world to honor the character and the author. I was particularly interested to learn about a fan club created by John Bennett Shaw, who lived in Santa Fe. Shaw was a dedicated collector of all things Holmes, and he created a dubious fan club for Holmes’ arch nemesis, Prof. James Moriarty. And ever year Shaw would host an “Unhappy Birthday Party” for Moriarty in the town of Moriarty, New Mexico. I found this bit of information so wonderfully exciting because I happen to live only 30 miles from Moriarty, NM.
This is a wonderful book that not only focuses on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man and the author, but also on his best known creation. How Mr. Holmes (from the early days) to Sherlock (today) is a narrative that spans many different stories and Mattias Boström has done an excellent job of taking the threads of all of these narratives into a single whole. Worth the time to read and explore for any Sherlock Holmes fan.
(Note: I read the English translation of the book by Michael Gallagher.)