If you like Sherlock Holmes, you are going to love Dr Thorndyke
Posted by Steve Emecz on
You're a fan of Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street - but probably wish there were more than just 4 novels and 56 short stories?
If you yearn for more similar original stories from the era then meet Dr. John Thorndyke of 5A Kings Bench Walk, London.
When Sherlock Holmes began his practice as a “Consulting Detective”, his ideas of scientific criminal investigations caused the London police to look upon him as a mere “theorist”. And yet, through his work, the science behind catching criminals became so important that it’s hard to now imagine the world without them.
Many famous Great Detectives followed in Holmes’s footsteps – Nero Wolfe and Ellery Queen, Hercule Poirot and Solar Pons – but before they began their careers, and while Holmes was still in practice in Baker Street, another London consultant – Dr. John Thorndyke – opened his doors, using the scientific methods developed and perfected by Holmes and taking them to a whole new level of brilliance.
Between 1905, with his first appearance in a nearly forgotten novella (see below), to 1942, and through the course of twenty-one novels and over forty short stories, Dr. Thorndyke, often with the assistance of his friend Dr. Christopher Jervis, unraveled some incredibly complex puzzles. Besides providing very satisfying mysteries – some of which turned the literary form inside out – these adventures present vivid pictures of England in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, ranging from the doctor’s own vividly drawn chambers at 5A Kings Bench Walk in the Temple to the surrounding London streets, and beyond into the villages and towns of the countryside.
Many of the Thorndyke volumes have been difficult to obtain for decades. MX Publishing is proud through the hard work of editor David Marcum, to have made the Dr. Thorndyke collection available in nine volumes of omnibus editions, bringing these masterful adventures of one of the world’s greatest detectives together in an easily available format for modern readers.
“Thorndyke will cheerfully show you all the facts. You will be none the wiser . . . .” – Dorothy L. Sayers, Chronicler of Lord Peter Wimsey “Introduction” – Great Stories of Detection, Mystery, and Horror (1928)
- Customers who order the first five volumes (Volume 1-5), either paperback or hardback can choose up to $50 other books of their choice from the MX Publishing catalogue
When you place your order please add in the comments the free books you would like.
The full list of paperbacks and hardcovers and the bundles are available here - The Complete Thorndyke Collection.