"A psychological account of a crime" - that's how Fyodor Dostoyevsky described his novel Crime and Punishment, which tells of two horrific axe murders in St. Petersburg. It becomes much more than a mere "account," however, when a pair of dead bodies turn up in London's East End, their heads split open by an axe-blade. To Scotland Yard, the crimes are murders to solve. To Sherlock Holmes, they present an intriguing puzzle. But to the literary man, Dr. John H. Watson, they seem a deliberate re-staging of the brutal murders depicted in Dostoyevsky's narrative. If Watson is right, what can be the purpose behind an actual recreation of the fictional killings? Blocking the answer to that question is a mysterious assortment of English and Russian eccentrics, and one can only wonder if the startling revelation at the end will be dramatic enough to set matters straight.
The light of an open doorway beckons through the mist of a London Particular, one of those smothering fogs for which turn-of-the-century London was famous. But in reality - as Sherlock Holmes soon discovers - though the doorway does indeed offer respite from the fog, it also leads to the gruesome remains of a double-murder. Two corpses, a stolen diamond necklace, a Russian connection, and a dandified American writer who pals around with denizens of the theater - all add up to a murder investigation with international implications. Leave it to Sherlock Holmes who, in a classic assemblage of suspects in a high-tone British men's club, employs his celebrated powers of deduction to reveal the guilty party.
The eleven stories gathered together in these two volumes share their own common feature. All have connections to the world of belles lettres, the world of literature - some to celebrated authors in particular, others to themes or stories associated with specific writers . . . . Let others plumb this collection for more subtle themes. From Maupassant to Stevenson to Fitzgerald, the authorial giants who populate these pages are explanation enough for its title. As interesting as such literary associations may be, of course, one can never forget that in the finest tradition of all the other adventures of Sherlock Holmes, these sketches depict a series of heartless criminal acts - some more gruesome than others.
The eleven stories gathered together in these two volumes share their own common feature. All have connections to the world of belles lettres, the world of literature - some to celebrated authors in particular, others to themes or stories associated with specific writers . . . . Let others plumb this collection for more subtle themes. From Maupassant to Stevenson to Fitzgerald, the authorial giants who populate these pages are explanation enough for its title. As interesting as such literary associations may be, of course, one can never forget that in the finest tradition of all the other adventures of Sherlock Holmes, these sketches depict a series of heartless criminal acts - some more gruesome than others.
A young inventor - the man whose name appears in the title of Dr. Watson's narrative, "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" - lies dead on the floor of an old house, two bullet holes in his back. To solve the gruesome murder, Sherlock Holmes enlists the aid of William Gillette, the celebrated American actor renown for his portrayal of the famous detective, and Arthur Conan Doyle, conveniently familiar with the world of spiritualism that serves as backdrop to the brutal crime. In a plot replete with foreign spies, young lovers, eerie séances, and an array of the dead inventor's strange mechanical devices, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson press on to discover the identity of Bruce-Partington's cold-blooded killer.
It is June 1884, a grey period for both the weather and Sherlock Holmes' mood. A lack of compelling cases has left him bored and close once again to the dull embrace of the needle. Less than a month earlier, however, he had astonished Inspector Lestrade and everyone around him by solving no less than six crimes in consecutive days. At the eleventh hour, Inspector Gregson arrives, with the promise of an impossible crime to solve. A murder has shattered the bucolic peace of the sleepy arable farmlands of Bedfordshire. The owner of a small stately home has been brutally killed while hosting a dinner party. But what and where is the murder weapon? What follows is an epic, sweeping tale. From England to Africa, from poverty to wealth, the story spans decades. Hardship and friendship are followed by betrayal, deception and murder.
In 1881, a weary doctor - wounded while serving in the military in Afghanistan - returned to London, only to be introduced to a most unusual young man who was already making a name for himself as the world's first consulting detective. At that time, the young man and his unique colleague were only just in their late twenties, unaware of their legendary futures... but they would go on to become two of the most famous and recognizable figures in the world: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson. In 1887, Holmes and Watson's first investigation as a team - A Study in Scarlet - was published. The Sign of Four followed in 1890, and then, in 1891, the world was electrified with the publication of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the newly-formed Strand Magazine... and the world would never be the same! Through the remainder of the nineteenth Century and all the way through the twentieth, Holmes and Watson’s fame would grow. We’re now well into the twenty-first century, yet the much-loved duo are just as popular today - if not even more so. In 2015, The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories burst upon the scene, featuring stories set within the canon’s correct time period, written by the very best of today’s Sherlockian authors from around the world. That first anthology, spread over three huge volumes, contained sixty-three stories and was the largest collection of its kind assembled at the time. Response was immediately and overwhelmingly positive, and soon there were calls from fans for additional collections. Over 150 contributors so far have joined together from around the world to produce well over three hundred new adventures to honour Sherlock Holmes, the man described by Watson as “the best and wisest whom I have ever known.” We now proudly present Parts XIII, XIV, and XV, three volumes which break the record of the initial triple offering, with an incredible sixty-six new adventures featuring the eternal duo Watson and Holmes. *** Part XV in the popular MX series of new Sherlock Holmes stories features contributions from Mark Mower, Thomas Fortenberry, Robert Perret, Tracy J. Revels, Robert Stapleton, Peter Coe Verbica, Maurice Barkley, Edwin A. Enstrom, William Todd, Roger Riccard, Kelvin I. Jones, Arthur Hall, Jack Grochot, David Marcum, Dick Gillman, Will Murray, Tim Symonds, Mike Hogan, Leslie Charteris, Denis Green, Ian Dickerson, Nick Cardillo, Darryl Webber, with forewords from David Marcum, Will Thomas, Roger Johnson, Steve Emecz and Melissa Grigsby, and two poems from Christopher James.
There was a time when "American popular entertainment" referred only to radio and motion pictures. With the coming of talking pictures, Hollywood cashed in on the success of big-time network radio by bringing several of the public's favorite broadcast personalities and programs to the screen. The results, though occasionally successful, often proved conclusively that some things are better heard than seen. Concentrating primarily on radio's Golden Age (1926-1962), this lively history discusses the cinematic efforts of airwave stars Rudy Vallee, Amos 'n' Andy, Fred Allen, Joe Penner, Fibber McGee & Molly, Edgar Bergen, Lum & Abner, and many more. Also analyzed are the movie versions of such radio series as The Shadow, Dr. Christian and The Life of Riley. In addition, two recent films starring contemporary radio headliners Howard Stern and Garrison Keillor are given their due.
The recently discovered diaries of the young Arthur Conan Doyle contain the startling adventures of Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and the Edinburgh surgeon, Joseph Bell in Russia during 1881. At the time, Holmes, a medical school dropout, had become a skilled anatomist, diagnostician and surgeon. Even his most devoted admirers are unaware that Holmes was an undercover agent for Her Majesty's Secret Service before he became a private detective. Holmes and Doyle accompany Dr. Bell when he travels to St. Petersburg to lecture on antiseptic surgery. Doyle's diary of their adventures reveal the origin of Sherlock Holmes’s addiction to cocaine as well as the plots by Prussians and Americans to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. The British are particularly concerned about an ex-officer, driven mad by torture during the Afghan-British war, who is determined to assassinate the Tsar. Holmes, with his uncanny ability, solves a series of murders by observing seemingly insignificant clews, such as the position of chess pieces, a cigar band and a sick dog. Doyle’s attraction to a radical young woman leads to his involvement with students who manufacture bombs. He is thrown in prison and when he visits a bawdy gentlemen’s club, a sword-wielding Cossack challenges him to a duel. Doyle meets famous Russians such as Dostoyevsky and Rasputin. This latest diary will enlighten and enchant all lovers of the Great Detective.
One of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dogs, the Saluki traveled throughout the Middle East with desert tribes, who valued the dogs for their ability to hunt gazelles. Famously painted on the walls of the Pharaohs' tombs, the Salukis' history intrigued English dog enthusiasts who were instrumental in popularizing the breed and importing it to Europe and the United States in the early 20th century. This book tells the story of those who brought the Saluki to the West, most notably Florence Amherst, who discovered the dogs while in Egypt and went on to breed 50 litters. Other world travelers who fell under the Salukis' spell included Lady Anne Blunt, Austen Layard and Gertrude Bell. Also covered are lesser-known Saluki aficionados, mainly military officers who hunted with their hounds in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt and sought to replicate that experience at home.
