Baker Street By-ways

Author: James Edward Holroyd
First Published: 1959
Publisher: Otto Penzler Books

I wouldn't say this is my favourite piece of writing on Sherlock Holmes. In fact, I don't think it even comes close. To begin with, it's very shallow. By that I simply mean that it skims subjects, touches on them, without delving deeper. It's an interesting read, certainly, but it lacks the depth I was hoping for.

The Content

Baker Street By-ways (BSB), after a brief introduction, begins with the author's pilgrimage to London and Baker Street. I'd read this before my plane touched down, so notably, I was captivated by the chapter. The author connects a lot of the sights of the area and ties them directly to Canon, which is something that really appealed to me. Sadly, having been written in 1959, the information (I soon discovered) is no longer relevant.

The book then goes on to outline the history of Sherlockian theory, which again, given the age of the book, is very outdated. I think, if you wanted to read up on Sherlockian history, it would be best to avoid anything published pre 1990. You simply aren't going to get the full picture.

He then switches gears again (and this was one of the things I didn't like about the book --there were a lot of topic jumps, and they didn't flow into one another) and talks about Sherlockian artists (Sidney Paget, Dorr Steele, etc). This was a really interesting chapter, but again, it seemed out of sorts with what Holroyd had touched on so far.

Next we move on to some theories. Theories that, while interesting, I didn't necessarily agree with. In fact, most Sherlockian theory that I've read (being more recent) tend to dismiss Holroyd's work, as new and more plausible theories have since been established, all of which nullify Holroyd's assumptions. Still, from an evolutionary standpoint, it's interesting to read, because we can't fully understand where we are, unless we have seen where we've been.

Also, despite their crack-headedness, some of his theories are just downright entertaining.

Again, we suffer through some additional topic jumps, before getting into Holmes and Watson, and later, other characters who have appeared in Canon . It's all very descriptive, and not at all analytical, and while it certainly held my attention, I am fairly certain others would be disappointed by the lack of insight.

In the end, it's worth a read, but I would certainly not shell out money for the book, or even include it in any collection I may someday own. It's outdated, and at times a little 'out there', and doesn't really encompass everything you would expect from scholarship.

It's not all bad, though, and, in fact, I did enjoy reading it. There's an incredible sense of nostalgia contained within it, and the author's love for SH really does come across. Reading Sherlockian theory and scholarship connects you to this community that transcends time and space and conventional boundaries, and it's hard not to get swept up in it. It's overwhelming. And so, as I was reading this book, I found myself often misty-eyed. In fact, I was often forced to swallow, just to avoid sobbing out loud. It's really quite a profound thing, and that feeling of nostalgia and love was something that this book did not lack.

Like Watson, Canon is a fixed point in an ever changing age, and that thought is reflected in almost every piece of Sherlockian Scholarship I have read. BSB is no exception to this, and so, for that reason alone, it is worth reading. It is this element that has earned this book 3 out of 5 pipes.