IT'S ELEMENTARY
There have been been numerous biographies and other reference books about Doyle and Holmes through the years, but here are some of the best and most recent:
- Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, and Charles Foley (Malice and Edgar winner, 2008)
- The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Andrew Lycett
- Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle by Daniel Stashower
- The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by John Dickson Carr
THE FACULTY OF DEDUCTION IS CERTAINLY CONTAGIOUS
There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of web sites that focus on, or prominently feature Doyle and/or Holmes, but the following have official, helpful, and just plain fun info:
- The Official Site of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate
- The Chronicles of Sir Athur Conan Doyle Holmes Links
- The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Society
- The Sherlock Holmes Society
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Online Exhibition
WE MUST LOOK FOR CONSISTENCY
If you check sites like the Internet Movie Database, you'll immediately notice the large number of portrayals on stage and screen (both large and small). Although my personal favorite will probably forever remain Jeremy Brett for the BBC, here are notables:
- John Barrymore played the role in a 1922 movie entitled Sherlock Holmes.
- Orson Welles played Sherlock Holmes in an adaptation of one of William Gillette's plays, broadcast in September of 1938 as part of the "Mercury Theater on the Air" series on CBS Radio.
- Basil Rathbone's career as Holmes began with The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, released in 1939, followed by a series of 12 films produced by Universal from 1942 to 1946.
- John Gielgud played Holmes for BBC radio in the 1950s, with Ralph Richardson as Watson. Gielgud's brother, Val Gielgud, appeared in one of the episodes as Mycroft Holmes. Also appearing was Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty in The Adventure of the Final Problem.
- From 1984 to 1994, Granada TV produced The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke and subsequently Edward Hardwicke as Watson. All but 19 of the Conan Doyle stories were filmed before the premature death of Jeremy Brett from a heart attack in 1995.
- The android Commander Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) portrayed Sherlock Holmes in two episodes of the series, in plots featuring the holodeck.
I HAVE NO TIME FOR TRIFLES
- Doyle's first published story appeared in Chambers's Edinburgh Journal before he was 20.
- Conan Doyle was friends for a time with the American magician Harry Houdini, before a falling out over the subject of spiritualism (Doyle was a believer, Houdini was not).
- Doyle's first job in the field of medicine was as a ship's doctor on a voyage to West Africa.
- The first known film featuring Holmes is Sherlock Holmes Baffled, a one-reel film running less than a minute, made by the American Edison company in 1900.
- The famous deerstalker cap of Holmes was not ascribed to him by Doyle, but by the illustrator of the stories, Sidney Paget.
- Holmes' best friend and biographer is Dr. Watson. Watson has a bullet wound that was first described as being in the shoulder, but in another story the wound had moved to the leg.
- There were 17 steps up to Sherlock Holmes's second-floor apartment.
- Check out the Games and Puzzles here and here and here
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE FIRST-HAND EVIDENCE (Stories for online reading)
- Mystery Net has full-text versions of all 24 of the original Sherlock Holmes Adventures for download
- Thinks.com has "Scandal in Bohemia" on their site
- Project Gutenberg also has stories for download
This is some great information about Doyle. I've enjoyed a number of his works, and will always be fascinated by the Holmes character.
Posted by: ScotlandGuy | October 20, 2008 at 10:24 PM