Sherlock Holmes in America

by Bill Blackbeard, Dean Dickensheet (Foreword)

Sherlock Holmes in America is a treasure-house of long-hidden or -forgotten Sherlockian. Reprinted here are countless examples of fabled but long-unseen American Sherlockian art: story illustrations, comic strips and cartoons, motion picture advertisements, and business advertisements incorporating the Holmes image. Stories are included also - hilarious American burlesques of Arthur Conan Doyle's Great Detective; and there are critics' reviews of old and new Holmes stage productions and of the many Holmes films...gems of Holmes poetry...letters and news items...and serious Sherlockian commentary aplenty. CONTENTS Foreword: The American Profile of Sherlock Holmes by Dean Dickensheet Introduction: Dealings with the Firm of Calabash, Deerstalker, and Lens - The Image of Sherlock Holmes in Popular Art and Literature by Bill Blackbeard Story Illustrations Dramatic, Cinematic, and Radio Reviews and Advertisements The Holmes Image in Advertising Pseudo-Sherlockian Stories and Burlesques: I A Variety of Sherlockian Commentary Comic Strips and Cartoons Pseudo-Sherlockian Stories and Burlesques: II The Real, Right Thing: Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" Envoi An Index

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1981

About the author

Bill Blackbeard was an American writer, editor, and pioneering comics historian whose lifelong mission was to preserve the art of the newspaper comic strip. As founder and director of the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art, he assembled one of the world’s most important collections of comic strips and newspaper sections, ultimately totaling millions of items. His belief that the newspaper comic strip was a vital and uniquely American art form shaped both his scholarship and his preservation efforts, especially at a time when libraries were discarding bound newspapers in favor of microfilm.
A passionate advocate for the cultural value of comics, Blackbeard wrote, edited, or contributed to more than two hundred books, including The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics, 100 Years of Comic Strips, and major restorations of series such as Krazy & Ignatz and Wash Tubbs and Captain Easy. His work helped establish the foundation for modern comics scholarship, and his meticulous archival practices preserved material that would otherwise have been lost.
Through the Academy, he developed a vast network of supporters who helped him rescue newspapers from across North America. His collection later became a cornerstone of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, where it continues to support research and publication. Blackbeard’s influence extends far beyond his own writing; generations of scholars, cartoonists, and historians have relied on the resources he saved and the standards he set.

Reviews

[Patrick Ijima-washburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My once-estranged father sent me this book as he and his stage-version of Hound of the Baskervilles is mentioned. The real treasure for me was reading all the old comic strips included. They were so fascinating that I became a huge fan of vintage comic strips and vintage fiction in general. The author, Bill Blackbeard is the premier expert in vintage comics and has been responsible for the re-release of many hard-to-find classics such as Krazy Kat. I just re-ordered this book as my original copy is long gone.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the "funny" stories weren't so funny. Interesting info on movies, plays, etc. Lots of pix.

[Candyce Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice volume for any Holmes fan.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

In America, at least, the term “coffee table book” has a negative connotation. It implies something lightweight; not very substantive; good for a casual look but not something you would sit down with and read for an extended period of time. Because there is such a vast array of subject matter related to Sherlock Holmes, I feel that coffee table styled books about the great detective rise above the common perception. Bill Blackbeard’s Sherlock Holmes in America is an excellent example of this.

Sherlock Holmes in America is a lavishly illustrated over-sized book; over 500 illustrations spread across 240 pages! This is one weighty tome! The reader is immediately drawn in with nearly 40 pages of drawings from the original American publications of the stories, both in magazines and newspapers. A few circa 1891 drawings by anonymous illustrators are followed by three-dozen of Frederic Dorr Steele’s drawings from The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Just as Sidney Paget is England’s foremost Holmes illustrator, so is Dorr Steele for America. After a sprinkling of other early American drawings, we are treated to seventeen marvelous pages of Dorr Steele’s illustrations, many in color. His color covers for Collier’s are absolutely stunning. Other drawings make up the rest of the section; many of interest.

The next section of the book focuses on Holmes on screen, stage and radio. There are some great reproductions here that you have probably never seen before. The William Gillette and John Barrymore fans will certainly be pleased.

The book continues on with advertisements, parodies, vintage Sherlockiana (more Gillette and Dorr Steele!) and a plethora of cartoons. This is all followed by a useful index.

Any fan of the visual Sherlock Holmes in America will rate this book highly. And it definitely rises to much greater than “coffee table” status.