A Sherlock Holmes Companion

by Peter Haining, Arthur Conan Doyle

The phenomenon that is Sherlock Holmes is based on the series of novels and short stories written almost a century ago that have generated a world-wide network of enthusiasts who have spent the intervening years endlessly debating and investigating the life and cases of the most famous of all detectives. The Sherlock Holmes Compendium was originally published to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who created this remarkable saga and has now been revised by Peter Haining to include a wealth of unique articles, thought-provoking essays and rare illustrations that will delight old Sherlockians and fascinate new Holmesians. As well as covering the Great Detective's career in the cinema and on TV, the book also includes a number of puzzles and quizzes to test the reader's knowledge of the world of 221b Baker Street.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Crime, Mystery, Essays

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Gus Scholtz]

If you are into Sherlock Holmes this is definitely a book you will enjoy.
A wide variety of articles ranging on many topics. Also great illustrations and a lot of maps.
A must

[Ashley]

Awesome awesome awesome. I've been really reluctant to read pastiches, but this has me thinking otherwise. I learned a lot of new Holmesian tidbits (which gets harder to do as my years as a Sherlockian pass) and I literally frightened my family at points with how hard I was laughing at some of the Holmesian jokes (I can't believe I even get to type that phrase- Holmesian jokes!) I very highly recommend it to any fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

[Peter Parziale]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Composed of short pieces lifted from the Strand or similar magazine, reminiscences, actor profiles, lists of literary detectives similar to Holmes, and the like and spiced with trivia games and puzzles for which I was not enough of a Sherlockian to attempt with any success.

As the collection progressed, I grew less and less interested in what editor Haining had chosen to fill out the 215 page (including puzzle solutions) book. Was Sherlock and Bram Stoker one and the same (from a 1957 article)? What was Mycroft Holmes really like, a speculation based on the scant mentions of brother Mycroft in a couple of the Conan Doyle stories. Basil Rathbone, P.G. Wodehouse, and daughter of artist Sidney Paget, and a former Scotland Yard commissioner all contributed stories. There were a couple of stories about Professor Moriarty. Someone wrote a too-lengthy analysis of Holmes's horoscope (yawn). Did you know that Holmes spent some time in outer space? Sheesh.

There were a (precious) few stories that elevated the book from 2 stars, barely, and the inclusion of the many trivia/puzzles in one book was a novel idea that I might re-visit after I re-read the Canon. But generally speaking, this book is pretty much for the Sherlock fans who have exhausted the Conan Doyle stories, and then fed on the abundance of Conan Doyle imitators, and just want another book to round out the collection. I don't otherwise see its value. I was happy to have it done with.

[Shizuka]

I was enjoying the book until I got to the chapter about Sherlock Holmes' horoscope... which was filled with Baring-Gould's fanfic bullshit. Otherwise I would have given it three stars, but I found that chapter too ridiculous and annoying.

[LuAnn]

The article that really stands out to me is Basil Rathbone’s “An Encounter in Central Park.” William Leonard’s speculation that Holmes was Van Helsing and Moriarty Dracula is astutely argued. I don’t enjoy most parodies of Holmes as they seem lazy rather than clever. The quizzes and crosswords are challenging to one who hasn’t reread the Canon over and over. The factual articles on topics like Holmes’ railway journeys and Paget are informative while the speculation and opinion articles aren’t memorable. Love the cover, though Holmes would not wear a deerstalker cap in London!!

[Margaret]

A collection of essays on Sherlock Holmes, some serious and some humorous. Journalistic essays, faux-scholarly satires, quizzes and more, many by famous authors (P.G. Wodehouse) and celebrities who were unexpected Holmes fans (Franklin Roosevelt). Ronald Knox's Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes is a particular favourite of mine.

[Rena Sherwood]

Cute, but no cigar in the coal scuttle. (My edition was from 1980 -- too early for JB's intro, which would have been the most interesting thing about the book.)

[Ben]

Hb. Like new condition.