The Sherlock Holmes Handbook [Hardcover]

Ransom Riggs (Author), Eugene Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

“My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know.”
 
This reader’s companion to the casework of Sherlock Holmes explores the methodology of the world’s most famous consulting detective. From analyzing fingerprints and decoding ciphers to creating disguises and faking one’s own death, readers will learn how Holmes solved his most celebrated cases—plus an arsenal of modern techniques available to today’s armchair sleuths. Along the way, readers will discover a host of trivia about the master detective and his universe: Why did Holmes never marry? How was the real Scotland Yard organized? Was cocaine really legal back then? And why were the British so terrified of Australia? Full of fascinating how-to skills and evocative illustrations, The Sherlock Holmes Handbook will appeal to Baker Street Irregulars of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ransom Riggs has coauthored several books of what he likes to call “pop nonfiction,” including the trivia-centric tomes Scatterbrained and The Beginning of Everything. He’s a regular contributor to and blogger for mental_floss magazine, and when he’s not unearthing fascinating-but-obscure miscellany, he’s lying for a living as an award-winning filmmaker in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Abbi. You can stalk him on the Web at www.ransomriggs.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594744297
• ISBN-13: 978-1594744297
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Reference
  • #27 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Crime & Criminals  > Forensic Science
  • #30 in Books > Education & Reference > Fun Facts > Trivia

More About the Author

Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida, where he spent his formative years making silly movies with his friends in their various backyards, snorkeling, and complaining about the heat. He studied English at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He is married. He has a cat. He lives in Los Angeles. He makes films you can watch on his YouTube page: www.youtube.com/ransriggs. He enjoys traveling to exotic lands and complaining about the heat. He would like to thank you for reading this short biography.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holmes Handbook, February 27, 2010

By 

Reverend Skull "Reverend Skull" (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sherlock Holmes Handbook (Hardcover)

There is another Sherlock Holmes Hanbook out there, but this is the one to get if you wish to study Holmes's methods. The material and illustrations are excellent, but the book's design is outstanding. I love the size, color, cover design, everything makes it look like it might have come from 1890.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but nothing amazing, March 14, 2010

By 

M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sherlock Holmes Handbook (Hardcover)

The book consists of short articles on items such as "how to search a dead body" or "how to survive a plunge over a waterfall", "how to sniff out a hoax", "how to stage a dramatic entrance" and the most mind-boggling, "How to outwit a criminal mastermind". Each one of these receives three to six of the rather small pages on the book, and in those pages the author describes incidents where Holmes did that particular thing, and makes a few comments on how such a thing might have been done in Victorian times. Most of the book is made up of these brief articles. At the end, there are brief sections of five pages or so with a biography of Doyle, Holmes quotes, and a few words about The Canon as a whole. note that you can look at the table of contents under "search inside this book" above.

The book is worth the low price, it's an entertaining brief read, and the numerous short articles would make it a good bathroom book for a Holmes fan. The author knows his subject, and I suspect I'd love to sit and talk and (mostly) listen to him in a discussion of Holmes and his times. But there's nothing profound or insightful here. I'm baffled at the numerous five-star reviews.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!, November 27, 2009

By 

R. Puntillo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sherlock Holmes Handbook (Hardcover)

Ransom Riggs artfully guides the reader through the deductive and intellective realm of Holmes. Eugene Smith's illustrations compliment Riggs' discourse perfectly. After reading this clever book, I longed to visit a 19th century crime scene. I highly recommend that you purchase this book.