Handbooks

Darkin, D.  Martin.  A Sherlock Holmes commentary, Newton Abbott: David and Charles, 1972

 This is a commentary on each of the novels and short stories.  Each story is given a section and is examined for continuity flaws and a brief explanation for the flaws is given.  This source is most useful if you have read some of the stories and have a question about the plot. 

Davis: PR4624.D3

 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan.  The Annotated Sherlock Holmes The Four Novels and Fifty-six Short Stories Complete, Edited by William S. Baring-Gould.  New York: Wings Books, 1967.

            This work contains the text for all of the Sherlock Holmes stories.  It also contains annotations describing foreign phrases used in the stories; a brief discussion of the current events at the time period the story takes place.  It has a brief biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, and describes the influences he had to create Holmes.  The amount of text in the margins explaining the story tends to make the page appear cluttered, but over all an excellent source. 

Davis: PR4620.A5 B3

Liebman, Arthur.  The Biographical Sherlock Holmes: An Anthology/Handbook, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 1984

            This work contains highlights from the Holmes’ career, from the first meeting between Holmes and Watson to “His Last Bow”.   All of the Sherlock Holmes stories are listed, and a teaser for each story is given.  It also provides a list of major characters from the stories, and a biographical blurb about each of them.

Davis: PR4623.L5 1984