Holmes Sweet Holmes Pt. 1

 

 

 Sherlock Holmes   Strand Magazine, 1891

 

 

It would be hard to find a more enduring fictional character than Sherlock Holmes.   Created in 1887 by Scottish-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Holmes has become the archetype of the deductive detective - and Doyle the father of the modern detective genre.

 

Little remembered today, however, is the fact that Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin and Emile Gaboriau's Monsieur Lecoq pre-dated Holmes and used similar deductive reasoning to solve crimes.

 

 

When asked if there was a real Sherlock Holmes, Doyle maintained that Holmes was inspired by Dr Joseph Bell, for whom Doyle had clerked  at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.  Bell, reportedly, was an astute observer and could deduce much from the smallest of clues.

 

 

Whatever the inspiration, Doyle would eventually produce 4 novels and fifty-six short stories that feature Holmes.   These original works are referred to as the "canon" by devotee's of Sherlock Holmes, and subsequent retellings  Canonical adaptations.

 

Since Doyle's time, a goodly number of new Sherlock Holmes adventures have been written, by a variety of authors -  these are referred to as non-canonical works.

 

As a small example, in 1954, Arthur Conan Doyle's son Adrian Conan Doyle collaborated with John Dickson Carr to write twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories.

 

And Edith Meiser won much praise for both her adaptations of canonical works, and her original non-canonical scripts, for the radio version of Sherlock Holmes.   Doyle's family was reportedly very pleased with her efforts, and she was inducted as an honorary member of the Baker Street Irregulars.

 

 

The first two Holmes stories, short novels, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887 and Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890.

 

Doyle's characters fame grew immensely when a series of short Holmes stories appeared in The Strand Magazine in 1891. 

 

While The Strand published the cream of popular British fiction of that time, there is no debate that the Sherlock Holmes stories boosted the magazine's circulation enormously.

 

The serialization of Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles became such an eagerly awaited event, that readers queued up outside of the publisher's in order to get the next installment.

 

There are 4 large areas of Sherlock Holmes entertainment available in the public domain:  Books and short stories, Films, Radio shows, and Television shows.

 

Today, we'll cover the written Holmes.

 

And if you own, or have already read the Holmes Canon, I may still have a treat for you.

 

 

The original works of Arther Conan Doyle are freely available from such sources as The Internet Archive,  Project Gutenberg, and Google Book Search (beta).

 

Simply enter SHERLOCK HOLMES in any of the search boxes, and you'll be presented with hundreds of volumes (many are repeats) available for download.

 

But even more rewarding are scans of dozens of issues of The Strand magazine from as far back as the 1890's, with stories by Doyle along with works by authors like Grant Allen,  H.G. Wells, E.C. Bentley,  C.B. Fry, E. Nesbit, W.W. Jacobs, Rudyard Kipling, and Edgar Wallace.

 

Many, but not all, of these issues contain offerings by Arthur Conan Doyle. 

 

All of them, however, are a treasure trove of light fiction, filled with many vintage illustrations, and great nostalgia.  

 

 

 

Bound volume of The Strand Magazine for Jan-June 1894

 

 

The Strand Magazine, No. 26 (Volume 5)
Number 26. February, 1893. Contents of this Issue A Wedding Gift, by Leonard Outram Hands, by Beckles Willson Quastana, the Brigand, from the French of Alfonse Daudet Zig-Zags at the Zoo: VIII. Zig-Zag Phocine, by Arthur Morrison and J. A. Shepherd The Major's Commission, by W. Clark Russell Peculiar Playing Cards: II., by George Clulow Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives: Lord Houghton John Pettie The Duchess of Teck The Duke of Teck Rev...

The Strand Magazine, No. 25 (Volume 5)
Number 25. January, 1893. Contents of this Issue Shafts from an Eastern Quiver: VII. Margarita, the Bond Queen of the Wandering Dhahs, by Charles J. Mansford Illustrated Interviews: XIX. The Lord Bishop of Ripon A Little Surprise, adapted from the French of Abraham Dreyfus by Constance Beerbohm Zig-Zags at the Zoo: VII. Zig-Zag Cursorean, by Arthur Morrison and J. A. Shepherd One and Two, by Walter Besant Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives: W...

The Strand Magazine, No. 28 (Volume 5)
Number 28. April, 1893. Contents of this Issue The Prince of Wales at Sandringham Shafts from an Eastern Quiver: X. The Hunted Tribe of Three Hundred Peaks, by Charles J. Mansford Weathercocks and Vanes, by Warrington Hogg A Dark Transaction, by Marianne Kent The Royal Humane Society A Strange Reunion, by T. G. Atkinson From Behind the Speaker's Chair: IV., viewed by Henry W. Lucy. Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives: Mrs...

The Strand Magazine, No. 29 (Volume 5)
Number 29. May, 1893. Contents of this Issue In the Shadow of the Sierras, by Ize Duffus Hardy The Royal Humane Society: II., Shafts from an Eastern Quiver: XI. In Quest of the Lost Galleon, by Charles J. Mansford Zig-Zags at the Zoo: XI. Zig-Zag Marsupial, by Arthur Morrison and J. A. Shepherd Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives: Miss Iza Duffus Hardy Hubert Herkomer Erskine Nicol John Macwhirter J...

The Strand Magazine, No. 99 (Volume 17)
Number 99. March, 1899. Contents of this Issue Round the Fire: X. The Story of B 24, by A. Conan Doyle A Peep into 'Punch': III. 1855 to 1859, by J. Holt Schooling "Biggest on Record", by George Dollar The Transport Rider, by Basil Marnan In Nature's Workshop: III. Plants that Go to Sleep, by Grant Allen The Broad Arrow, by E. M. Jameson From Behind the Speaker's Chair: XLIX., viewed by Henry W...

The Strand Magazine, No. 102 (Volume 17)
Number 102. June, 1899. Contents of this Issue An Extraordinary Story, by Neil Wynn Williams The Sinking of the "Merrimac", by Richmond Pearson Hobson A Master of Craft, by W. W. Jacobs In Nature's Workshop: VI. Animal and Vegetable Hedgehogs, by Grant Allen In a Tight Fix, by Victor L. Whitechurch Switzerland from a Balloon, by Charles Herbert Laura, by Basil Marnan A Peep into 'Punch': VI...

The Strand Magazine, No. 101 (Volume 17)
Number 101. May, 1899. Contents of this Issue Round the Fire: XII. The Story of the Brown Hand, by A. Conan Doyle Illustrated Interviews: LXIV. Mr. A. C. MacLaren, by Fred. W. Ward Hilda Wade: III. The Episode of the Wife who Did her Duty, by Grant Allen Curious Water Sports, by F. G. Callcott A Master of Craft, by W. W. Jacobs From Behind the Speaker's Chair: LI., viewed by Henry W. Lucy The Ca****t Came Back, by John Oxenham In Nature's Workshop: V...

The Strand Magazine, No. 27 (Volume 5)
Number 27. March, 1893. Contents of this Issue A Game of Chess, from the French Illustrated Interviews: XXI. Mr. and Mrs. Kendal "Author! Author!" by E. W. Hornung Zig-Zags at the Zoo: IX. Zig-Zag Conkavian, by Arthur Morrison and J. A. Shepherd Shafts from an Eastern Quiver: IX. Maw-Sayah: The Keeper of the Great Burman Nat, by Charles J. Mansford From Behind the Speaker's Chair: III., viewed by Henry W...

The Strand Magazine, No. 97 (Volume 17)
Number 97. January, 1899. Contents of this Issue Round the Fire: VII. The Story of the Japanned Box, by A. Conan Doyle Illustrated Interviews: LXIL. Madame Melba, by Percy Cross Standing His Home Coming, by E. M. Jameson In Nature's Workshop: I. Sextons and Scavengers, by Grant Allen Weepin' Willie, by Albert Trapman Animal Friendship, by Albert H. Broadwell Miss Cayley's Adventures: XI. The Adventure of the Oriental Attendant, by Grant Allen Unique Log-Marks, by Alfred I...

The Strand Magazine, No. 98 (Volume 17)
Number 98. February, 1899. Contents of this Issue Round the Fire: IX. The Story of the Jew's Breast-Plate, by A. Conan Doyle The Story of Cleopatra's Needle. From Syrene to London, by Susie Esplen Ivanka the Wolf-Slayer, by Mark Eastwood In Nature's Workshop: II. False Pretences, by Grant Allen From Behind the Speaker's Chair: XLVIII, viewed by Henry W. Lucy Drawing a Badger, by Edmund Mitchell A Common Crystal, by John R...

The Strand Magazine, No. 100 (Volume 17)
Number 100. April, 1899. Contents of this Issue Round the Fire: XI. The Story of the Latin Tutor, by A. Conan Doyle Letters of Burne-Jones to a Child A Question of Habit, by W. W. Jacobs In Nature's Workshop: IV. Masquerades and Disguises, by Grant Allen Illustrated Interviews: LXIII. M. Vasili Verestchagin, by Arthur Mee The Tale of the American Volunteer: A Cuban Story, by Neil Wynn A Peep into 'Punch': IV...

The Strand Magazine, No. 30 (Volume 5)
Number 25. January, 1893. Contents of this Issue Pierre and Baptiste, by Beckles Willson Future Dictates of Fashion, by W. Cade Gall Shafts from an Eastern Quiver: XII. The Daughter of Lovetski the Lost, by Charles J. Mansford Illustrated Interviews: XXIII. Mr. Harry Furniss Portraits of Celebrities at Different Times of their Lives: Harry Furniss Sir George Reid Colin Hunter Sir Frederick Augustus Abel Lord Kelvin Cardinal-Arch Bishop Vaughan Zig-Zags at the Zoo: XII...

 

 

Next time, some of the filmed versions of Sherlock Holmes available in the public domain.