The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes 150th Anniversary

What type of snake bit Dr. Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band?" What is the true identity of the "Illustrious Client" who sought to prevent Violet de Merville's marriage to the villainous Baron Adelbert Gruner? Published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Holmes's creation, this two-volume set of all 56 of the Sherlock Holmes stories attempts to answer these vital questions, and many more. The red-printed annotations explain various Victorian cultural references and explore concordances and potential inconsistencies. Maps, tables, and other supplemental materials are also provided, and black-and-white illustrations from many sources accompany the text, including several of the famous Sidney Paget pictures, which appeared with the stories' initial publication in the Strand Magazine. Readers may be amused by the editor's conceit that Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler, John Watson, were real people, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle merely Watson's "literary agent." Although perhaps not the best reference for the serious academic, the set--winner of the 2005 Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical work--will provide endless hours of enjoyment for devoted nitpickers and the gloriously obsessed.