The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes
By: Zach Dundas
Rating: 5 of 5
“The Great Detective” is an interesting book. It has elements of a scholarly study on the character of Sherlock Holmes but is not wholly that. It delves into the various trendiness of the detective through the ages, from the very first parodies and remakes which began a short time after the publishing of the short story form began in “The Strand Magazine” to the present versions of the BBC’s “Sherlock”, the US series “Elementary” and even the Robert Downing Jr. movies.
Along the way, we are treated to a visits to the “real” 221B Baker Street museum (which never really existed), to time spent with various Sherlock enthusiasts, including the Baker Street Irregulars, and more. We also get to see the world of Sherlock via an autobiographical journey with the author from his first childhood discovery of the Holmes tales through his travels to document the information contained in this book.
What becomes evident is there has been more written about Holmes and Watson than was actually written by Sir Conan Doyle. There is something about the detective and his friend that transcends the age in which they were written. They appeal to people regardless of their race, creed, color, country of origin, or even the time in which they were born. They will continue to appeal to future generations and, as the author notes, for those who venture into their territory, it will always be 1895.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
“The Great Detective” is an interesting book. It has elements of a scholarly study on the character of Sherlock Holmes but is not wholly that. It delves into the various trendiness of the detective through the ages, from the very first parodies and remakes which began a short time after the publishing of the short story form began in “The Strand Magazine” to the present versions of the BBC’s “Sherlock”, the US series “Elementary” and even the Robert Downing Jr. movies.