Scan barcode
ninethreeo's review
4.0
Loved this book. The story of how Sherlock Holmes was born. The tangents were also really interesting, especially the influence of Dupin and LeCoq. 4.5 stars!
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Subtitle: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes.
This is an interesting biography / history of Conan Doyle’s life as a young man. The reader learns of the people and events that influenced and inspired him when he created his most famous character: Sherlock Holmes. There was the professor in medical school who had trained himself to keenly observe a patient’s demeanor, clothing, and general appearance and from those observable “clues” infer the man’s occupation, background, and even marital status. And there were the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, Wilkie Collins, Emile Gaboriau and others, on whose foundations Doyle built his own style.
I also found it interesting to learn of the publishing business in this era, and stunned to discover that Conan Doyle had to basically sell his copyright in order to get that first Holmes mystery published.
This is an interesting biography / history of Conan Doyle’s life as a young man. The reader learns of the people and events that influenced and inspired him when he created his most famous character: Sherlock Holmes. There was the professor in medical school who had trained himself to keenly observe a patient’s demeanor, clothing, and general appearance and from those observable “clues” infer the man’s occupation, background, and even marital status. And there were the writings of Edgar Allen Poe, Wilkie Collins, Emile Gaboriau and others, on whose foundations Doyle built his own style.
I also found it interesting to learn of the publishing business in this era, and stunned to discover that Conan Doyle had to basically sell his copyright in order to get that first Holmes mystery published.
yayjill's review against another edition
2.0
The author did a lot of research to put Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes into context, but the pacing was erratic and the book ended abruptly.
triptofun's review against another edition
3.0
Quando ho comprato questo libro in una libreria di Londra mi aspettavo qualcosa di diverso. Pensavo a un saggio biografico che indagasse il rapporto tra Conan Doyle e il suo mentore alla facoltà di medicina e raccontasse come è nato Sherlock Holmes. Lo fa, ma in mezzo a una biografia piuttosto convenzionale dell'autore inglese. Ciò non di meno Conan Doyle ha avuto una vita affascinantissima, medico sulle baleniere, poi nei sobborghi inglesi a soffrire la fame, sempre alla ricerca della fama letteraria. Nel complesso quindi si tratta di un buon libro, che fa il suo dovere: incuriosire il lettore e spingerlo a scoprire lati meno noti del celebre inventore di Sherlock Holmes.
slavicsongbird's review against another edition
3.0
A wonderful book, written to keep the reader's interest despite what many might consider a rather dull topic. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is that the sourcing, at least to me, was very unclear and impossible to follow; I couldn't find what was quoted from where, a thing which I consider very important, especially since I read the book for my Masters' thesis. Maybe it was just the format I got it in.
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
3.0
Not even 30, Conan Doyle was a middling doctor & author of two unpublished novels when he suddenly created Sherlock Holmes. This amusing if unexciting dual bio of a writer & his creation looks at how a Scottish whaling ship physician with an alcoholic father penned history’s most enduring literary detective. Much of Holmes is based on the Edinburgh med school prof who stressed reason & deduction. Some fun tidbits—like the only copy of Conan Doyle’s first novel getting literally lost in the mail.
mwgerard's review against another edition
5.0
Rather than a biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, this is a history of all of the people surrounding the world’s greatest consulting detective. Instead of trying to encompass a whole (very accomplished) life, Sims chooses to take a magnifying glass to Conan Doyle’s early professional life as a student, doctor and writer, up until the birth of Sherlock Holmes.
Piece by piece, he unmasks aspects of Conan Doyle’s past that point to inspiration for Holmes and the fantastic stories. Most notably (and a personal hero of mine) is Dr. Joseph Bell, a teaching physician at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied there. The book, in fact, opens with a quote from Bell, and sets the tone for the whole work.
Read my full review here: http://mwgerard.com/review-arthur-and-sherlock/
Piece by piece, he unmasks aspects of Conan Doyle’s past that point to inspiration for Holmes and the fantastic stories. Most notably (and a personal hero of mine) is Dr. Joseph Bell, a teaching physician at the University of Edinburgh while Conan Doyle studied there. The book, in fact, opens with a quote from Bell, and sets the tone for the whole work.
Read my full review here: http://mwgerard.com/review-arthur-and-sherlock/
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
RATING: 3.5 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)
I enjoyed Sims' book on E.B. White and so I decided to try his Arthur and Sherlock. In this book we see how Arthur creates Sherlock and Sherlock created Arthur. If you are fan of Sherlock, Conan Doyle, and literary biographies, I would recommend this one! Sims is a good storyteller that keeps the book flowing to the last chapter.
(Review Not on Blog)
I enjoyed Sims' book on E.B. White and so I decided to try his Arthur and Sherlock. In this book we see how Arthur creates Sherlock and Sherlock created Arthur. If you are fan of Sherlock, Conan Doyle, and literary biographies, I would recommend this one! Sims is a good storyteller that keeps the book flowing to the last chapter.