Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective [Hardcover]

William S. Baring-Gould (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wings Books / Random House Value Publishing (August 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051703817X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517038178
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 'real' story, July 25, 2004

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective (Hardcover)

There are those who believe, or perhaps I should say, 'believe', that Sherlock Holmes was (or, sometimes, is) a real historical figure. In this magnificent biography of the great detective, William S. Baring-Gould wrote that none of the characters in his book are fictional, 'although the author should very much like to meet any who claim to be.'

William S. Baring-Gould (1913-1967) was one of the greatest Sherlock Holmes scholars ever. Publishing several works on Holmes publically and privately, this biography was published in 1962, a few years before his great, two-volume annotated edition of the canon of Sherlock Holmes, which still remains a standard bearer. Baring-Gould himself was a life-long devotee of Holmes in particular, and mysteries in general. He is also noted for the fictional biography of Nero Wolfe, which continues the idea presented in this volume that Nero is the son of Holmes and THE woman, Irene Adler, of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' fame.

Sherlock Holmes is one of the best known detectives in the world -- so famous in fact, that 221B Baker Street in London continues to get mail adddressed to this fictional character almost a century after he would have died had he been a real person. There are groups of people -- Sherlockians and Holmesians, the distinction between which is rather subtle -- who delight in retelling the tales. There are forever questions and debates about the ordering of the stories; Baring-Gould is one authority often referred to in these debates, thanks to his work on the Chronology of Holmes, used as an organising principle behind this book.

Baring-Gould draws on the canonical texts and some clever speculations and deductions to piece together a rather complete biographical sketch. As almost every major Sherlock Holmes scholar does, Baring-Gould fills in the gaps in the data. He postulates the birth, childhood and education of Holmes, which is never made explicit in the text of the stores. His idea for Irene Adler as Holmes' lifelong love is not original, but his development of the affair, including the outcome of the son (Nero Wolfe) with the familial characteristics similar to both Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes is ingenious.

Baring-Gould develops details about Watson and Conan Doyle, too, but the primary emphasis here is on Holmes. Baring-Gould argued strongly (some would say convincingly) that this is not a work of fiction. His research was very exacting -- the biography includes two appendices, one of which is a chronology (Baring-Gould had a private published chronology of Holmes) of Holmes' life, according to Baring-Gould (a generation of scholars have debated its merits, but none have ignored it), and a second appendix is a select bibliography, now out of date somewhat, but a great list showing the major works of the first generation of Sherlock Holmes scholars.

Every Sherlockian/Holmesian will want to read this book. It is fascinating for those who love the stories, well written and authoritative.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real biography of the world greatest detective, January 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective (Hardcover)

Baring-Gould is the greatest chronicler of the Holmesian canon. His annotated version is a must for every enthusiast. Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street is the biography of the man, put together from the many stories. "It was the year in which Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden...."."Unaccountably, the Almanac fails to list perhaps the most memorable event of that same memorable year. It was the birth, in the early hours of the morning of Friday, January 6, of a third and last son to Siger and Violet Holmes, at the farmstead of Mycroft in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, a district famous for its horse-breeding stables and its wind-swept--"wuthering" - heights." You will read about the birth of the man, his family, his brother, etc. You will enter with him into his friendship with Watson (also Watson's youth) and their adventures. Please bring this book back in print. It is a must.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully speculative!, March 11, 2003

By 

Walter B. Conger "Solopreneur" (California central coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective (Hardcover)

I first read Baring-Gould's biography back in 1975, and it was my first REAL exposure to The Game -- the treatment of Sherlock Holmes as a living person and the art of speculating about The Master's life from the clues dropped by Watson in the original stories. I'm delighted that this book is still available.

Baring-Gould presents as good a chronology of the Doyle tales as anyone, and he "fills in the blanks" delightfully. (Imagine Holmes fighting a prehistoric bird in hand-to-talon combat on the deck of a freighter! It's true!!)

Baring-Gould obviously had a damn good time writing this extraordinary, and definitive, biography of Sherlock. And if you've already devoured the original 60 stories, dive into this book. Then set it alongside your copies of the Doyle books. It deserves a place there.