The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 4 by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes Volume Four by Liese Sherwood-Fabre ISBN-13: 9781952408205 ebook: 196 pages Publisher: Little Elm Press, LLC Released: December 6th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales include many references to everyday Victorian life that are no longer part of current readers’ world. What Holmes would have eaten from a can while searching for the hound of the Baskervilles, Watson's enjoyment of a yellow-back novel, or the proper use of a gasogene would have been common knowledge to the Victorian contemporary but compels modern readers to run to the nearest reference book. These twenty-four short essays pull such items from the past and expand on their significance in the story. As an additional bonus, this book contains an essay on the role of scandal in Holmes' cases. After enjoying these concise treatises on Holmes’ world, readers will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of both the times and the life of the world’s greatest consulting detective.

Topics covered include: The Pinkerton Agency, Victorian Firearms, Handcuffs, Gossip, Canning, Collecting, Ears, Stocks and Bonds, Yellow Paperbacks, Opium Dens, Handkerchiefs, Plaster of Paris, Seltzer Water and Gasogenes, Voodoo, Curare, Cocaine and Other Addictions, Freemasonry, Tweed, Leprosy, Whist, Homelessness, Chemistry, The London Underground, and Scandal in the Canon.


My Review:
The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 24 short essays on the historical context of things mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories. Each essay was inspired by a comment or incident in a Sherlock Holmes story, and we're told where the essay topic is mentioned. We're given a brief history or background information on the topic. The footnotes show that most of the information was found online or in a small number of books about Victorian England, so you could look up much of this information for yourself if so motivated. However, it is an interesting and informative read.

Topics covered include The Pinkerton Agency, Victorian Firearms, Handcuffs, Gossip, Canning, Collecting, Ears, Stocks and Bonds, Yellow Paperbacks, Opium Dens, Handkerchiefs, Plaster of Paris, Seltzer Water and Gasogenes, Voodoo, Curare, Cocaine and Other Addictions, Freemasonry, Tweed, Leprosy, Whist, Homelessness, Chemistry, The London Underground, and Scandal.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.