Being Sherlock: A Sherlockian’s Stroll Through the Best Sherlock Holmes Stories

by Ashley D. Polasek

Being Sherlock shares the best collection of Sherlock Holmes stories fans have never had, until now. Shared by Sherlockian Ashley D. Polasek, she nimbly sets the stage for each story and shares interesting Sherlockian tidbits about the incredible evolution of this iconic character. Famous former and current Sherlocks include: William Gillette, Basil Rathbone, Christopher Lee, John Cleese, Robert Downey Jr., Sir Ian McKellen, and Benedict Cumberbatch among others. Featuring lesser-known photography and behind the scene shots, this book is for every Sherlock Holmes fan bookshelf. Unlike other Sherlockian guides, this book attempts to answer why the Sherlock narrative is so popular and decree the best and worst representations.

• ISBN10: 1493042394
• ISBN13: 9781493042395
• Publish Date: 1 December 2019 (first published 20 September 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Imprint: The Lyons Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Being Sherlock is a survey course and context commentary for 10 of the author's choices for 'best' Holmes stories plus the Hound of the Baskervilles. Released 20th Sept 2019 by Lyons Press, it's 448 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is an engaging and thoroughly readable collection by Ashley D Polasek, an academic who has specialized in the study of the Holmes canon and media representations. The stories themselves are perennial and almost certainly familiar to anyone picking up this book. What's fresh and really delightful are the author's interesting and -accessible- comments and background for the stories, their history, and the media depictions which they inspired. The author writes well and entertainingly and manages to avoid the pedagogy and convoluted prose which are the hallmark of all too many general reader books written by very specialized academics.

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it unreservedly for fans of Holmes, the films & TV appearances, and mystery lovers as well. She refers to a number of lesser known but worthy spin offs in print and film which will give the reader more Holmesian goodness to hunt down. This would make a great book club or buddy read (one story with commentary per meeting? Yes, please!).

The book is richly annotated and full of photographs and illustrations. This is a lovingly and respectfully written book. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available on October first.

For those who don’t have the dubious pleasure of knowing me personally, let me say: I love Sherlock Holmes. I have read the Complete Sherlock Holmes multiple times. I’ve enjoyed many different works in the Holmes pastiche, including (but not limited to) Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and Anna Waterhouse, the Charlotte Holmes books by Brittany Cavallaro, and The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

This book is a superb addition to the list of Sherlockian books. It added a new angle to the lore and many iterations of Conan Doyle’s famous detective that have sprung from his original works.

I loved the addition of the photos and the author’s viewpoints, as well as her reasoning behind what she included in the book. She points out aspects of Conan Doyle’s writing that I’ve taken for granted up until now. It’s given me an even greater appreciation of the genius of his writing.

My only suggestion would be to read the full original works before picking up this book, simply because it will cause you to appreciate this introspective stroll through Sherlock even more. If you love Holmes, this book is for you.