Sherlock Holmes in Portrait and Profile

Synopsis

Currently, no doubt, the picture of Sherlock Holmes in most peoples minds is that of Basil Rathbone but that was not always so The evolution of that famous profile in the deerstalker cap, smoking a curved pipe, is a story in itself This picture account of Holmes' illustrators traces the history of Holmesian portraiture in England and the United States over a period of nearly sixty years. Not every illustrator saw Holmes as Dr Watson described him. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an alertness and decision. In spite of this authoritative description, Holmes' first illustrator, D H Friston, portrayed him in 1887 as gaudily dressed, side whiskered dandy Even more heretical were the crude sketches by Charles Doyle published in 1888 His most famous English illustrator, Sidney Paget, started to picture Holmes as we know him Frederick Dorr Steele's drawings of Holmes span almost forty years, from a series in Colliers Weekly in 1903 to an advertisement for Basil Rathbone's Hound of the Baskervilles in 1939. Both scholarship and devotion have produced this treasure trove of 65 illustrations and the story-by story-account that accompanies them As Vincent Starret says, scholarship aside, it is a fascinating research that admirers of the Master on all levels will hail with satisfaction. Walter Klinefelter, a long time devotee of Holmes and stalwart Baker Street Irregular, is the author of many books including Ex Libris A Conon Doyle: Sherlock Holmes.

Copyright:

1963

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

105 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780805204988

Publisher:

N/A

Date of Addition:

03/15/05

Copyrighted By:

Syracuse University Press

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Literature and Fiction, Mystery and Thrillers, Language Arts

Submitted By:

Jake Brownell

Proofread By:

Allison Mervis

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.