Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March, 2015
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Born May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland; died of a heart attack, July 7, 1930, in Crowborough, Sussex, England Education: Edinburgh University, B.M., 1881, M.D., 1885. Memberships: British Society for Psychical Research.
CAREER:
Novelist and physician. Assistant to physician in Birmingham, England, 1879; ship's surgeon on whaling voyage to Arctic, 1880; ship's surgeon on voyage to west coast of Africa, 1881-82; physician in Southsea, Portsmouth, England, 1882-90; ophthalmologist in London, England, 1891; writer. Lectured on spiritualism in Europe, Australia, the United States, and Canada, 1917-25, South Africa, 1928, and Sweden, 1929.
Wartime service: Served during the Boer War as chief surgeon of a field hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, 1900.
AWARDS:
Knighted, 1902.
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shaped the mystery genre with his legendary brilliant private detective Sherlock Holmes, aided by his equally iconic stolid sidekick, Dr. Watson. Because of their timeless quality, Doyle's characters have become archetypes for the genre and the stories themselves part of our popular culture. Gentlemanly chivalry laced with adventure characterize the atmosphere of his cultured, sleek and entertaining narratives. Tightly knit plots offer a quick but stately pace, and stories are populated with colorful recurring characters. Start with: A Study in Scarlet.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Holmes phenomenon is the tongue-in-cheek pseudoscholarship that has grown up around the stories. The practitioners of this elaborate game--who call themselves Sherlockians or, in Britain, Holmesians--are educated, usually professional people. Adopting the pretense that Holmes really existed, that the stories are actual case reports written by Watson--or in two instances by Holmes himself--and that Doyle was merely Watson's literary agent, they study the sixty tales--called "the Canon (or Conan)"--to develop theories about unrecorded parts of the characters' lives and to try to explain away the main inconsistencies Doyle carelessly introduced into the stories.
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Here is a contemporary, not so favorable, review:
"Novels of the Week: 'The Sign of Four'." The Athenaeum 3293 (6 Dec. 1890): 773. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon K. Hall. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale Research, 1982. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.
A detective story is usually lively reading, but we cannot pretend to think that `The Sign of Four' is up to the level of the writer's best work. It is a curious medley, and full of horrors; and surely those who play at hide and seek with the fatal treasure are a strange company. The wooden-legged convict and his fiendish misshapen little mate, the ghastly twins, the genial prizefighters, the detectives wise and foolish, and the gentle girl whose lover tells the tale, twist in and out together in a mazy dance, culminating in that mad and terrible rush down the river which ends the mystery and the treasure. Dr. Doyle's admirers will read the little volume through eagerly enough, but they will hardly care to take it up again.
WEB SITES:
From 2002 to 2007, we at Stanford University have enjoyed a vicarious journey through the 19th century, courtesy of Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stanford Library’s Special Collections. We began with three Dickens novels, Great Expectations in 2002-2003, A Tale of Two Cities in 2004, and Hard Times in 2005, and continued in 2006 and 2007 with selected Sherlock Holmes stories, including a complete novel,The Hound of the Baskervilles.
A literary and social society for the study of the life and work of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson; open to anyone with an interest in Sherlock Holmes, Dr John H. Watson and their world.
The web portal about the Great Detective • edited by Chris Redmond
Complete text to all 24 Sherlock Holmes Adventures, ready to print
http://sherlockholmesexhibition.com/ Exhibition runs from Feb. 12, 2015 - May 10, 2015 at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas, Texas
Inspired by and other Readalikes:
House of Silk; a Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz
This first Sherlock Holmes novel to be authorized by Arthur Conan Doyle's estate opens in 1908 with a retired Dr. Watson laying pen to paper a final time to recount the most scandalous case of Holmes's career.
Stout, Rex, (1886-1975) Reason: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes series inspired Rex Stout's novels, and Stout is a good choice for readers who like eccentric but brilliant detectives, faithful sidekicks, vivid descriptions, a strong sense of place, and books that offer the mental challenge of coming up with the solution before the grand unveiling. Dawn Towery
1. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mysteries King, Laurie R. Reason: Fans of the original Sherlock Holmes series might enjoy a continuation in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes Mysteries. Holmes and Mary work together solving crimes. King's historical detail, elegant language, well developed characters, and complex plots are comparable to the original Holmes. Rebecca Sigmon
2. Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries Reason: by Sayers, Dorothy. Both series feature a quirky, cunning, and bold detective dealing with complex mysteries and shady characters, and evocative period descriptions of England abound in each. The Lord Wimsey mysteries are more humorous, occasionally satirizing the iconic Holmes character. Derek Keyser
3. New adventures of the great detective by Thomas, Donald Serrell Reason: The New Adventures of the Great Detective and the Sherlock Holmes mysteries feature the brilliant detective from the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories in new, authentically re-imagined stories that continue the detective's adventures into the Edwardian era. Merle Jacob
4. Dr. Thomas Silkstone mysteries by Harris, Tessa Reason: These suspenseful historical mysteries set in London feature highly intelligent detectives who use the scientific method Silkstone pioneers 18th century forensic methodology while the 19th century Holmes uses deductive reasoning. Both richly detailed, fast-paced series bring London vividly to life. Mike Nilsson
5. Return of Sherlock Holmes by Grant, Barry Reason: If you find that Arthur Conan Doyle didn't write enough of his Sherlock Holmes mysteries to satisfy you, try a 21st century continuation series, Return of Sherlock Holmes, in which the real Sherlock Holmes (frozen and revivified) appears in Hertfordshire. Katherine Johnson
6. Nero Wolfe mysteries Reason: The detectives in these mysteries are idiosyncratic, eccentric, brilliant men who work with assistants who have different but complementary personalities. The plots of both series are leisurely paced and well detailed, allowing the reader to solve the mystery alongside the detective. Rebecca Sigmon
7. Pendergast novels by Preston, Douglas J. Reason: Readers of the Sherlock Holmes Mysteries who particularly appreciate Holmes' intelligence, powers of observation, and indestructible nature may want to try the Pendergast Novels for a similar character solving crime in a modern setting. Rebecca Sigmon
Graphic Novel adaptations:
The sign of the four / adapted from the original novel by Arthur Conan Doyle ; text adapted by Ian Edginton; illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard
The hound of the Baskervilles / adapted from the original novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ; text adapted by Ian Edginton; illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard
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