Edgar W. Smith

This is a collection of "research papers," essays, poems, and reflections by ardent Sherlockians - Sherlock Holmes fans who enthusiastically embrace the pretense that Sherlock Holmes was an actual historical personage, with Watson playing Boswell and Conan Doyle - when mentioned at all - relegated to a minimal role as literary agent. Per the disclaimer at the opening of the collection: "The characters in this book are real persons. Any resemblance to fictional characters, living or dead, is show more purely accidental".

The authors of this collection of tongue-in-cheek tributes to the Great Detective include most of the "founding fathers" of the Baker Street Irregulars, a long-lived organization of Sherlockians: Vince Starrett, the Morley Bros, Anthony Boucher, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, H.W. Bell, Alexander Woolcott, and Edgar W. Smith.

Between them, these "scholars" boldly tackle everything from major Canonical controversies to whimsical miscellany: was Holmes an international spy? A gentleman? A veteran? A drug addict? An imposter? Who were the actual historical personages represented by pseudonyms in the stories? What was Mrs. Hudson's true role in the adventures? Was Watson wounded once or twice? was he a better shot than Holmes? Just how many wives *did* the good doctor have ... or was he himself a woman?

Is an encyclopedic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon (the original 54 stories) required to appreciate these works of "scholarship"? No - but I won't pretend it doesn't definitely help. Another potential obstacle: numerous literary and cultural allusions that, while topical back in the 1940s when these essays were penned, are definitely obscure now: like me, you may find yourself regularly resorting to Google to clarify some of the more arcane references.

Is it worth the work? If you're an aspiring Sherlockian, that's not up for debate: this is one of the top 10 "must reads", right up there with Starrett's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and H.W. Bell's Baker Street Studies.

As for the rest of us ... well, that depends on how you take your Sherlock Holmes: over easy (a fair-weather fan), in which case you'll probably want to give this a miss; hard boiled (worshipper at the alter), in which case some of the more controversial (read: preposterous) essays here may irk you; or soft boiled (respectful admirer), in which case I predict you'll thoroughly enjoy this witty and whimsical homage to a one of literature's greatest and most enduring creations ... unless, of course, Sherlock Holmes was real after all? show less

Haining puts together twelve more pieces of writing by Doyle and argues they should be part of the Sherlockian canon. But reading these it's clear why they're not in the canon: They're either (1) not about Holmes; (2) not by Doyle; or (3) not any good at all.

Probably the best collection of material that should be added to the Holmes "Canon" out there. And, if you can find it at a used book store, at the right price too. It is ably edited by Peter Haining, and contains a nearly useless foreword the greatest Holmes in my lifetime (especially with David Burke during the first two seasons): Jeremy Brett.

The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collects writings about the detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that should be canon. If you consider the show more intro to the Case Book canon, then these items should be as well: "The Truth About Sherlock Holmes," "Some Personalia About Mr. Sherlock Holmes," "My Favourite Sherlock Holmes Adventures," and "A Gaudy Death: Conan Doyle Tells the True Story of Sherlock Holmes's End." Then there are the four stories that should be considered canon by everyone: "The Field Bazaar" and "How Watson Learned the Trick," both straightforward Holmes stories, and "The Story of the Man with the Watches" and "The Story of the Lost Special" both feature letters from Holmes. The last two, according to Haining, appear in all French editions of the recognized canon.

"The Adventures of the Tall Man" is a plot outline by the Literary Agent, and as written up in 1947 by Robert A. Cutter, not that good. The idea is nifty, though. One wishes Doyle had finished it himself. "The Case of the Man who was Wanted," perhaps edited a bit by Doyle, but written by Arthur Whitaker, is not that good. "The Case of the Inferior Sleuth," so-called is just a Holmes poem by Doyle. The Crown Diamond and The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes are plays: the former by the Literary Agent (which was later turned into "The Mazarin Stone") is okay, but a bit stiff; the latter is a sparkling gem that is pure comedy, Holmes doesn't even speak a word, and betrays the hand of veteran actor William Gillette.

Finally, there are two non-Holmes stories: "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley" and "The Mystery of Uncle Jeremy's Household." The former was Doyle's first paying, published story, and is just a light piece of ephemera that graced the pages of magazines from the late Victorian era. Haining, the editor, tries to make it a Hound precursor, but it is nothing of the sort. The latter story is more interesting, though the word "amanuensis" is used entirely too much. The heroine, if it be right to call her that, is exotically (erotically?) and romantically well-drawn, and the story is neat enough. Haining is right here, as there are certain parallels between this story and Holmes. The chemistry, the "John H.," the detached reasoner (here studying to be a doctor) who attempts to solve the mystery on his own, is impervious to the woman's obvious charms, and just happens to live on Baker Street.

This is a good collection, which could only be aided by the addition of Doyle's full-length play "Sherlock Holmes" (and perhaps "Angels of Darkness," which was never supposed to see the light of day). The editor, Haining, should have paid more attention to his duty, as there is little format or structure here. He tries to go chronologically, but places two things out of order. And why are "A Gaudy Death," "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley," and "My Favourite Sherlock Holmes Adventures" relegated to an "appendix"? It makes no sense! "A Gaudy Death" and "My Favourite Sherlock Holmes Adventures" are definitely on par with "The Truth About Sherlock Holmes" or "Some Personalia About Mr. Sherlock Holmes." Why are they in an appendix? If anything, the two non-Holmes stories should be in the appendix as "interesting stories."

All in all, this is an important addition to any Holmes bookshelf. show less

Review: A collection of stories, plays and essays about Holmes that are not part of the Canon but certainly make nice supplementary reading. An excellent addition to any Holmes library... This book is similar to the out of print and often difficult to find Sherlock Holmes: The Published Apocrypha by Jack Tracy. Both books include the “almost Sherlock Holmes�? stories and plays that don’t fit in the Canon, but are certainly in the neighborhood.
The introduction discusses the pieces that show more make up the book and you will find some interesting tidbits (much of which was previously in Tracy’s book)... Peter Haining’s book is an outstanding collection that any Holmes fan should enjoy. If you already have Tracy’s Apocrypha, or vice versa, you will find they complement each other and you shouldn’t ignore one because you own the other.
Reviewed by: Bob Byrne, July 2003 show less