The Sydney Passengers reviews The Lighter Side of Sherlock Holmes, The Sherlockian Artwork of Norman Schatell

“Although I was aware of the name, I don’t know that I had seen more than a couple of Norman Schatell’s Sherlockian cartoons so I approached this collection with a great deal of anticipation. A good number of the drawings raised a smile and I laughed out loud at some of the cartoons. Mr Schatell’s drawings are affectionate, knowledgeable and never sarcastic or mean-spirited.

I was at times puzzled, though, until I realised that the collection seems to contain every extant example of Mr Schatell’s artwork about Holmes and Watson including working sketches, envelopes addressed to noted Sherlockians which he decorated with drawings, uncaptioned drawings (or those for which a caption had not yet been finalised ) and multiple variations on the same cartoon concept.

Once this aspect of the book was appreciated, it became an intriguing look into the mind and creative process of a highly esteemed Sherlockian artist of the 1970s.”

Reviewed by Phil Cornell

The Lighter Side of Sherlock Holmes is available from all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository.In ebook format it is in Amazon Kindle, Nook and Kobo.