The Sherlock Holmes Handbook

Learn the skills of the world’s most famous detective in this how-to guide for Sherlock enthusiasts and amateur sleuths—from the author of the Miss Peregrine books This reader’s companion to the casework of Sherlock Holmes explores the methodology of the world’s most famous consulting detective. From analyzing fingerprints and decoding ciphers to creating disguises and faking one’s own death, readers will learn how Holmes solved his most celebrated cases—plus an arsenal of modern techniques available to today’s armchair sleuths. Along the way, readers will discover a host of trivia about the master detective and his universe: • Why did Holmes never marry? • How was the real Scotland Yard organized? • Was cocaine really legal back then? • Why were the British so terrified of Australia? For die-hard Sherlockians and amateur investigators alike, this handbook is nothing less than . . . elementary.

Here, in one convenient volume, is everything needed for the enjoyment of Holmess canon.

"This reader's companion to the casework of Sherlock Holmes explores the methodology of the world's most famous consulting detective. From analyzing fingerprints and decoding ciphers to creating disguises and faking one's own death, readers will learn how Holmes solved his most celebrated cases--plus an arsenal of modern techniques available to today's armchair sleuths. Along the way, readers will discover a host of trivia about the master detective and his universe."--Back cover.

"Sherlock Holmes Handbook sums up a Canadian scholar's lifetime expertise about Sherlock Holmes - the characters and themes, the publishers and readers, Victorian London and the Houdini connection, radio actors and cartoonists, the fans who cling to Holmes's reality and the professors who tease out motifs from the fifty-six short stories and four novels. The first edition of Sherlock Holmes Handbook appeared in 1993. This edition catches up on new films, new books (a few with a hint of the supernatural) and the advent of the Internet, which has spread Holmes's fame and Sherlockian fun even further worldwide. The intervening years have brought three multi-volume editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories, with hundreds of footnotes providing new insights and new amusement. They have also seen Holmes repeatedly on the amateur and professional stages, including a few Canadian productions. And there have been changes to everything from copyright rules to libraries, booksellers and audio recordings."

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, the final collection of Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1921 to 1927, features his last 12 mysteries, including the only two stories narrated by Sherlock Holmes himself-"The Blanched Soldier" and "The Lion's Mane." This Top Five Classics illustrated edition of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes includes all 57 illustrations by Howard Elcock, Alfred Gilbert, and Frank Wiles as they appeared in the original Strand serials, as well as a complete Timeline of Sherlock Holmes Cases and a detailed author biography.

Updated and Revised 2nd edition. A Guide to Deduction is a guide for any potential Sherlock Holmes or John Watson. A series of reflections on subjects to help anyone from novices to experts to learn how to deduce things from your surroundings. The book is a useful reference to learn about the common details that appear in the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. In this second edition, learn more about lock picking, poisons and the chemistry in the world around us.

Imagine the scene, 221b baker street, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are in their rooms, Holmes is smoking his pipe staring at the ceiling, "Watson he cries, What do you know about Vanderbilt? Make a long arm and look in that wonderful book 'The Curious Book of Sherlock Holmes Characters', a truly remarkable work, packed will information about every character we have encountered in our 56 short stories and 4 novellas. This writer has even included that carbuncle eating goose and that lazy dog that did nothing." Watson stretched out his arm and picked it up from the coffee table, "I like to keep it handy, it looks so nice on this table, giving the whole room an air of sophistication. In addition it's so large and thick, it would stop an air rifle bullet at a thousand yards. Only the other day I looked up Captain Calhoun and Messrs. Biddle, Hayward and Moffat and found that there was a link between these individuals." Holmes thought a moment, and said "What links Miss Hunter, Miss Smith, Miss Westbury and Miss De Merville?", "Too easy" cried Watson. "What about this Holmes, get those braincells working, Which Canon story has 4 totally unrelated people with the same surname (last name), I can give you a clue, one was a policeman, one was an alias, one was a teen and one was an official. " "And this book lists them all?" asked Holmes, "Yes, there are over one thousand characters in it and of course, we both get a special mention, and it's illustrated throughout" "Sidney Paget again, I suppose?" "Oh no, not just him, but artists like Frederic Dorr Steele of Collier's fame, Ernest Flammarion, F. H. Townsend, Josef Friedrich, Paul Thiriat, Richard Gutschmidt, Arthur Twidle et al. It's a must have for anyone seriously into Us." Mike Foy's mammoth book includes all the characters (animals included) from the Sherlock Holmes canon, with as many illustrations as possible. It's one of the largest compilations of its kind and an excellent reference resource for Sherlock Holmes fans.

"Good Old Index is a fascinating collection of information, hitherto unavailable, about the Great Detective and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For example, the Index lists the astonishing variety of weapons employed in the stories - life-preservers (black-jacks), chairs, poison gas, and an arsenal of knives and pistols. Readers can study Holmes's garb, and the Index facilitates the evaluation of the character of Dr. Watson." "It also provides abundant material for an assessment of Doyle's writing habits. He was one of the greatest story-tellers in English, but could be pompous and circumloquacious, as when he calls a sawed-off shotgun a truncated fowling-piece!" "The author has included thousands of Sherlockian facts into alphabetically arranged categories that allow the reader to dip into the book and find what he wants instantly." "This volume fills a unique void in the literature on Doyle and his famous detective."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved