Sherlock Holmes, the man and his world

by H.R.F. Keating

Book Overview

Fiction with 136 illustrations. If ever any life has begged biography it is perhaps that of Sherlock Holmes. The world's first and greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes bears a name that is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500012148
• ISBN13: 9780500012147
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Thames and Hudson
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.

Customer Reviews

More a Cultural History than a Biography

First off, the book is rather short, some 150 pages less an extremely detailed index, but not accounting for the lavish contemporary illustrations. Slightly longer than a story and not quite a novella, "Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World" is really an extraordinary book. The author treats the subject as an entirely non-fictional character. In doing so, Mr. Keating weaves together illustrations from the various publications of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles' tales of the great detective with contemporary photos, newspapers, and illustrations from the late Victorian and early Edwardian era. This isn't so much a biography as a character study. In seeking to illustrate the personality of Mr. Holmes, Keating brilliantly weaves together events of the age into the wholly fabricated chronology of Holmes' life. Put into it's place is everything from the Boer War to the death of Queen Victoria, the rise of the Edwardian era, to the coming of the First World War. It's really an interesting insight into the views and culture of the classical Golden Era of British Empire, a time when the sun literally never sat on England. The stereotype of the stuffy Brit are explained, even extolled, by illustration from the Holmes' mysteries. Concepts such as the nobility of work, honor (or the better "honour") and the expected conduct of the "English Gentleman" are discussed as they relate to the complex personality of Holmes' and his faithful Watson. There are no chapter breaking the tale down into specific topics; instead the tale moves chronologically from the "Gloria Scott" case (set in 1873) to his final adventure (the appropriately named "The Last Bow") Keating seeks to explain, or illustrate, what's made Sherlock Holmes a figure of such fascination over the years; everything from what today we would call manic-depression, to his cocaine use. If you've ever had any interest in Sherlock Holmes or the Victorian era, this book is a must read.