Free Downloads The Sherlock Holmes Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained)
The Sherlock Holmes Book, the latest in DK's award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series, tackles the most "elementary" of subjects — the world of Sherlock Holmes, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.The Sherlock Holmes Book is packed with witty illustrations, clear graphics, and memorable quotes that make it the perfect Sherlock Holmes guide, covering every case of the world's greatest detective, from A Study in Scarlet to The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place, placing the stories in a wider context. Stories include at-a-glance flowcharts that show how Holmes reaches his conclusions through deductive reasoning, and character guides provide handy reference for readers and an invaluable resource for fans of the Sherlock Holmes films and TV series.The Sherlock Holmes Book holds a magnifying glass to the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective.
Series: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: DK (October 20, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1465438491
ISBN-13: 978-1465438492
Product Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #120,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #16 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Reference #16 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Mystery & Detective #149 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Books & Reading > General
Most of the reviews are for other products. This is a wonderful book. It isn't the Holmes stories. Still a five star book. The book is laid out to give an overview of Doyle himself and narratives on major characters - Sherlock, Watson, Moriarity, Lestrade. Each description running from five to ten pages each. Followed by well written descriptions of each of the adventures, the four novels. A nice side work of what was happening in Doyle's life and world events etc. There are lots of full color illustrations and black and white photographs included. The descriptive breakdown of each story help fans with insights into what's going on in each story. There are some good pieces on the influence that Doyle's writings and characters continue to have on his readers and other writers as well. A really well done work on the subject. Very interesting reading.
This book is perfect for someone who:*wants to know everything about the Sherlock Holmes stories, but does not want to read the actual stories themselves.*has read an original story and wants to know more about the case history, character roles, and society at the time.*wants to learn more about the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.*wants to learn to think like Sherlock Holmes.The Sherlock Holmes Book is basically the cliff notes for the entire canon of Sherlock Holmes! It includes dozens of eye-pleasing charts that show how Sherlock reaches his conclusions. Also included are chapters about:*Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life*The Victorian time period that Sherlock lived in*The society of the time*The art of deduction*Criminology and forensic science*Crime writing and detective fiction*The fans of Sherlock Holmes*Sherlock on stage and screen
Will the reading public ever get enough of Sherlock Holmes? Over one hundred years after Holmes and Watson first graced the pages of THE STRAND MAGAZINE, interest never flags. Novelists continue to try and capture Conan Doyle's lighting-in-a-bottle while others put out learned tomes describing, analyzing and dissecting the most famous fictional character in the English language. The latest such book is the Dorling Kindersley SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK. A 2015 release, the book is part of that publisher's BIG IDEAS SIMPLY EXPLAINED series. It's also catnip for the legions of Holmes fans.After introductory chapters on Conan Doyle, Holmes, Watson, Moriarty and Lestrade, the book explores the Holmes canon story-by-story in chapters entitled 'The Early Adventures,' 'The Great Detective,' 'A Legend Returns,' 'Holmes Takes a Last Bow,' and 'The Final Deductions.' Each story/novel rates a two-ten page write-up that entertainingly summarizes the plot and main characters. Accompanying sidebars explore various elements of that story. For example, the section on THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE has a sidebar biography of Colonel Sebastian Moran; the SILVER BLAZE section has a sidebar on Victorian horse racing; etc.. A lengthy, concluding chapter details 'The World of Sherlock Holmes' with information on the Victorian world, the art of deduction, Forensic science, Crime Writing and Detective Fiction, Holmes fans, Holmes on the stage/screen/TV, etc. The book was written by Holmes authority David Stuart Davies and five other contributors.The book is wonderfully illustrated with vintage and contemporary b&w and color photographs, illustrations, posters, magazine/book cover artwork and diagrams. Visually, the book is a delight.In short, Holmes fans of all ages are in for a treat. THE SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK is a marvelous history of and tribute to that most beloved detective and his ever-dependable colleague. Highly recommended.
The correct title of this book should be “The Sherlock Holmes Canon Book,” not “The Sherlock Holmes Book.” The book goes in depth into each of the 56 Conan Doyle short stories (2-6 pages each) and longer sections on the four novels, breaking them down by chapter. There are interesting sidebar articles on the real-life inspirations of the characters, life in Victorian times, et cetera, and also nice visual maps to the story locations and relationship charts showing the character interactions. Most enjoyable of all are the iconic Sidney Paget illustrations (which leaves one wanting to see a book reproducing all of them).However, once you leave the review of the canon behind, there is little in-depth to recommend. We are told there is such a thing as the “Great Game,” but nothing more substantial than that. The weakest sections are “Sherlock on Stage and Screen” (where you will find brief mentions that someone named Basil Rathbone and someone named Jeremy Brett played the role) and “Holmes by Other Hands” which – out of 23 entries – almost half are from just the past decade or so. The “Stage and Screen” section cries out for more in-depth detail about those very important Rathbone/Brett productions, and the “Other Hands” section begs the question of why the emphasis is so recent considering the 80 year span of works to choose from.Worst, there is no discussion or mention of other good Holmes reference books, which is sad since this one is such a poor reference work itself for anything outside of the canon. “Big Ideas Simply Explained” is a great idea for a book series, but unfortunately it seems the title should be “Big Ideas TOO Simply Explained.” Five stars for the canon material, three stars for the rest, hence the four rating overall.
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