Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Boström begins with one more run-through of the origins of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the mightiest fictional creation ever, and he comes up with some intriguing and fresh details. Sidney Paget, one of the first artists to draw Holmes, is said by some to have based the detective's angular appearance on his brother Walter. Paget gave Holmes a deerstalker because that's what Paget wore himself. Boström claims Doyle saw Holmes merely as a way to get attention for his more serious work, thus becoming the first of many to learn that one doesn't use Holmes. Just the opposite. Boström also tries, this time unsuccessfully, to make Doyle's heirs' battles interesting, though these are best seen as quarries for future research, like the squabbles among production companies. The attraction here is watching the publishing world catch on to what readers have always known: these are not detective stories but stories about a detective. Boström credits the Robert Downey Jr., films for hastening this enlightenment, claiming that those movies understood that Doyle's tales formed a template for modern buddy films. The canon of critical and biographical material on Holmes and Doyle is massive, of course, but even so, this latest entry makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how a bloodhound called Sherlock took over the world.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This exhaustive study of the 130-year Sherlock Holmes phenomenon spans Arthur Conan Doyle's earliest inspirations up to today's two successful Holmes-inspired TV shows. Boström begins with Conan Doyle's pre-Sherlock life, explaining how the fledgling author struggled to place his early fiction in the popular magazines of the day. He goes on to show how Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. John Watson have been represented in every imaginable medium: plays, radio, film, TV, and even podcasts. The keepers of the flame have been the "Sherlockians," the individuals who analyze Conan Doyle's works and collect memorabilia. Boström narrates Holmes's pervasive and global influence after Conan Doyle's death in 1930; screen adaptations were even produced behind the Iron Curtain. He also lays out the bungling efforts of Conan Doyle's children to control the portrayal of his creations and ensure they got a share of the profits. The book occasionally bogs down in their legal skirmishing, but always gets back on track as it explores the world's continuing fascination with fiction's leading detective hero. The informal, accessible style of Gallagher's translation makes for an easy, if lengthy, read. Elin Hellström, Brandt New Agency (Spain). (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Publisher and author Boström (Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle in the Newspapers) has woven the twists, turns, and copyright convolutions of the original "Sherlock Holmes" stories and later pastiches, films, radio, theatre, and television adaptations into a comprehensive and comprehensible narrative that tracks how devotees have endeavored to breathe new life into their favorite sleuth. What is it about Sherlock Holmes-the consulting detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887-that captivates us? We all think we know him. Readers may be familiar with the original four novels and 56 short stories that fascinated Victorian England and continue to appeal, or watched film adaptations with Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jr., or Ian McKellen. Many have been introduced to the character through the BBC series Sherlock, a dazzling reinterpretation set in modern London starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Some even believe Holmes to be a real person, with societies worldwide celebrating his genius. How did this fictional creation become a revered iconic figure? In brief, novelistic chapters, Boström supplies a well-researched, chronological approach to the history. VERDICT To be enjoyed by Sherlockians everywhere, this title makes it clear that Holmes's story is far from over.-Penelope J.M. Klein, Fayetteville, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A spirited account of how Sherlock became a household name.Arthur Conan Doyle's literary creation was, of course, a hit from the moment he first bowed in 1887, with eager readers awaiting his every move in the pages of The Strand and books for the next couple of decades. But Holmes, writes Swedish Sherlock-ian Bostrm, might have remained a musty artifact from the Victorian past had not a small army of fans and creators taken pains to keep him updated. If it's true that every generation needs a fresh translation of Homer, then it seems that every generation has also gotten its own Sherlock. As a creator of the beloved Benedict Cumberbatch/Martin Freeman vehicle observed, "to prove Holmes immortalit's essential he's not preserved in Victorian aspicbut allowed to live again!" Bostrm takes the story from Conan Doyle's pen all the way up to the most recent emanations, not just the Cumberbatch-ian Sherlock, but also Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock on the CBS drama Elementary. By the end of the second season, Miller had "beat the record for the actor who had portrayed Sherlock Holmes the most times in films or on television." Take that, Basil Rathbone! Of course, old Basil played his generational role, as did the dutiful screenwriters and film executives who marshalled Holmes into the Allied ranks during World War II, an ideological struggle "woven into a number of film series that were already underwayregardless of whether they were about Tarzan or starred the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello." Indeed, Bostrm's weaving of the Holmes story into the larger one of popular culture and the mass-entertainment industry is the best part of this very good book. For fans of literature, film history, and Conan Doyle alike, a fine complement to the best works of Sherlock-iana. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
