Sherlock Holmes and his creator

by Trevor H. Hall

Bound in publisher's original orange cloth with spine stamped in gilt. Dust jacket sunned at spine and rubbed on bottom edge, else fine. Contributions by Archdeacon Charles O. Ellison. Contains indexes.

155 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1978

Reviews

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very respectable little essay collection. Nearly all are about Holmes, despite the charcoal portrait of Doyle which adorns my copy's dust jacket. These include a few novel and thoughtful studies, mixed in with some less-inspired rehashing of traditional topics such as why both Moriarty and his brother were named James. A real chemist's view of Holmes's sitting-room laboratory, and an investigation of the detective's pseudonymous appearances in the adventures of French antihero Arsène Lupin, are highlights.

A lengthy essay on Doyle's relationship with Spiritualism concludes the volume. Though this ultimately has relatively little to say about the contrast between the credulous author and his hyper-skeptical creation, beyond the obvious, the in-depth chronicle of this passion of Doyle's later life is entirely interesting reading by itself.