News — Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

"A new ‘Sherlock Holmes’ novel has a lot to live up to. And frankly, I was not hopeful for this offering. As an avid Arthur Conan Doyle – and Holmes – fan, I was sceptical that anyone could match Conan Doyle’s intellect whilst matching his fast-paced and gripping style. I was wrong. Symonds story could be described as a gripping yarn, which captured the essence of both Holmes and Watson very well. The story in short; Holmes and his faithful sidekick were contacted by the mysterious and duplicitous Prince Regnant of Bulgaria, following the theft of an ancient and sacred manuscript. Holmes is tasked...

"Written by Lynnette Porter and published by MX Publishing, Benedict Cumberbatch – In Transition: An Unauthorised Performance Biography is no ordinary biography as we know it from most other celebrity biographies. The author focuses almost entirely on the career of Benedict and gives an overview of his projects, backed by numerous quotations and anecdotes. The book begins, after a long introduction, with Benedict’s childhood and his education at Harrow, Manchester and LAMDA, and includes some very nice quotes from his mother, Wanda Ventham. We, as theater fans, are delighted that the chapter on his career in the theatre is especially...

"The essays collected in Watson Is Not an Idiot: An Opinionated Tour of the Sherlock Holmes Canon by Eddy Webb (MX Publishing; www.mxpublishing.co.uk) were originally posted on Mr Webb’s blog at http://eddyfate.com. They are necessarily opinionated, as they must be; they’re also intelligent, incisive and well-written. The nearest equivalent to Watson Is Not an Idiot is probably Martin Dakin’s Sherlock Holmes Commentary, but Mr Webb takes the line throughout that the chronicles of Sherlock Holmes are fiction, written by Arthur Conan Doyle. His book can help us appreciate just what is good in the stories, what isn’t, and why they still appeal when so much contemporary work is forgotten. It...

Father Christmas has brought you a shiny new iPad and now it’s time to fill it up – but what with? Here’s our tips for the best Sherlock Holmes books to download: For the Traditionalists – writing in the style of Conan Doyle The Papers of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 and Volume Two The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes The Secret Journal of Dr.Watson Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt Mystery at St Andrews Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Edinburgh Haunting For fans of cross-overs with famous characters Rendezvous at The Populaire (Phantom of The Opera) I Will Find The...

Father Christmas has brought you a shiny new Nook and now it’s time to fill it up – but what with? Here’s our tips for the best Sherlock Holmes books to download: For the Traditionalists – writing in the style of Conan Doyle The Papers of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 and Volume Two The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes The Secret Journal of Dr.Watson Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt Mystery at St Andrews Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Edinburgh Haunting For fans of cross-overs with famous characters Rendezvous at The Populaire (Phantom of The Opera) I Will Find The...