126 Dawson as Cissie and Ada in Dawson’s TV show 6H] George Burnwell (David Burke). Rosemary Leach , /HV . In 2006 Ian McKellen ranked Cissie and Ada as who died on the 21st October aged eighty-one, was the tenth best drag act ever. another victim, Kitty Winter in 7KH,OOXVWULRXV&OLHQW , but she took revenge on the vicious Baron Adelbert Robert Hardy , who died on the 3rd August, aged Gruner (Peter Wyngarde). Rosemary Leach is ninety-one, was a leading actor in all media and survived by her husband Colin Starkey, who played styles. Playing Shakespeare’s Henry V inspired him 'U:DWVRQLQWKH¿OP 0U+ROPHV . to become an expert on the English longbow. He SRUWUD\HG :LQVWRQ &KXUFKLOO HLJKW WLPHV RQ ¿OP The British former world middleweight champion and TV. A recent notable rôle was Cornelius Fudge boxer Terry Downes , dubbed “the Paddington in the Harry Potter movies, but he is most famous as ([SUHVV´WXUQHGWR¿OPDQGWHOHYLVLRQDIWHUUHWLULQJ Siegfried Farnon in $OO &UHDWXUHV *UHDW DQG 6PDOO . from the ring. In 1965 he played the butcher, Chunky, In 1970-71 he played Sherlock Holmes in eight in $ 6WXG\ LQ 7HUURU , though his character didn’t enjoyable audio plays, with Nigel Stock as Watson, encounter John Neville’s Sherlock Holmes. Terry and in the 1980s Argo released his readings — among Downes died on the 6th October aged eighty-one. the very best ever done — of twenty stories from the canon. Better known, no doubt, is his wonderful As I write, comes news of the death on the 9th nuanced performance as Charles Augustus Milverton November of John Hillerman , aged eighty-four. to Jeremy Brett’s Holmes in the 1992 Granada Remembered as the British ex-Sergeant-Major production 7KH0DVWHU%ODFNPDLOHU . Jonathan Higgins in 0DJQXP 3, , Hillerman, as the +ROO\ZRRG 5HSRUWHU notes, “often played We have recently lost two actresses who gave notable condescending characters with more than a touch of performances in the 1965 BBC TV series, with the Tory Brit”, though he was actually born and raised Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock as Holmes and in Texas. In 1990 he was an unobjectionable Watson Watson. In 7KH%HU\O&RURQHW , Suzan Farmer , who to Edward Woodward’s miscast Holmes in the poor GLHG RQ WKH WK 6HSWHPEHU DJHG VHYHQW\¿YH ZDV TV movie +DQGVRID0XUGHUHU . Mary Holder, who fell for the villainous charm of Sir RJ “I AM AN OMNIVOROUS READER” Book reviews by DAN ANDRIACCO, LISA BURSCHEIDT, ALISTAIR DUNCAN, MARK MOWER, SARAH OBERMULLER-BENNETT, JOHN SHEPPARD, JEAN UPTON and ROGER JOHNSON The Life and Death of Sherlock Holmes: Master more than a century — even such a hefty tome as Detective, Myth and Media Star by Mattias this couldn’t give detailed attention to everything. Boström. +HDGRI=HXV 2017. 597pp. £25.00 (hbk) So Boström had to be selective about what to sketch This is the story of the birth and enduring life lightly and what to put under the magnifying lens. of the character whose name means “detective” in This he did almost perfectly. Most of the 111 brief almost every language. And what a fascinating story it chapters, greatly expanded from the original Swedish LV³5HDGVOLNH¿FWLRQ´LVDFOLFKpWKDW¶VKDUGWRDYRLG version, involve material that I’m somewhat familiar in describing this engrossing narrative full of quirky ZLWK DIWHU PRUH WKDQ ¿YH GHFDGHV RI 6KHUORFNLDQ characters and twists and turns of plot. The 497 pages reading. And yet, almost every chapter also contains RIWH[WIROORZHGE\SDJHVRIQRWHVDQGLQGH[À\ material that was new and interesting to me. The book by. is neither too elementary nor too advanced for anyone The book begins in 1878 with Arthur Conan interested in the Holmes phenomenon. Doyle. It ends in 2015 with the rediscovery of the It would be hard for me to pick a favourite part, ORVW :LOOLDP *LOOHWWH ¿OP RI KLV FODVVLF PHORGUDPD EXW WKH DFFRXQW RI KRZ WKH ¿UVW IHPDOH PHPEHUV 6KHUORFN +ROPHV . The closing lines remind us, were added to the ranks of the Baker Street Irregulars however, that the story will go on. With so much is among the most dramatic and moving. And the ground to cover — literal ground across many explanation of the Sherlock Holmes copyright countries as well as metaphorical ground across ownership, a complex thread running through multiple 127 chapters and many years, was most enlightening. I the world of true crime. Inevitably, it predominantly ¿UVWLQWHUYLHZHG0DWWLDV%RVWU|PDERXWWKLVERRNMXVW dwells on the cases of George Edalji and Oscar Slater, RYHUIRXU\HDUVDJR,¶PGHOLJKWHGWREHDEOHWR¿QDOO\ which account for over 50% of the book. They are read it in English and learn that it’s just as good as I also the events that have caused a lot of other authors expected. If I had a much smaller Sherlockian library, to put pen to paper (including yours truly). Beyond this book would still be an indispensable part of it. these, the Chicken Run murder also features as do DA some crimes that Conan Doyle encountered when travelling outside the UK on his Spiritualist lecture tours. The Adventure of the Creeping Man by Sir Arthur Perhaps surprisingly, a considerable amount of Conan Doyle. Facsimile edition with an Introduction time is spent on Conan Doyle’s Spiritualist work and and annotated transcript by Neil McCaw. 8QLYHUVLW\RI his run-ins with Harry Houdini. Sandford has covered :LQFKHVWHU (supported by Portsmouth City Council), this ground before, in greater detail, so some of his 2017. 132pp. £35.00 (hbk) work in this area will be familiar if you’ve read his Facsimile editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories earlier book. However, here this is used as background are to be treasured, and this edition of “The Adventure material in connection with Conan Doyle’s ideas of the Creeping Man” shines as brightly as any. The about the use of mediums in the solving of crime. rather eccentric story of Professor Presbury is greatly Mention of the Cottingley Fairies is harder to justify enhanced by the very impressive introduction and but I guess it is very easy to talk about how credulous annotated transcription by Neil McCaw, Professor of Conan Doyle was in such matters if you lean on the Victorian Literature at the University of Winchester. fairies as an example. As a means to this end their This is a splendid work of scholarship and essential inclusion makes sense. reading for all Sherlockian students and collectors. If you are a student of Conan Doyle’s life you’re Professor McCaw’s introduction provides valuable likely to have read a good deal about Edalji and context for the story and a brief history of Conan Slater so you may be wondering what you’ll get Doyle’s time in Southsea. He examines the rather out of Sandford’s book. Therein lies my problem. I negative reputation which the story has gained over thoroughly enjoyed the book but I’m not sure it will the years. Consideration is given to Conan Doyle’s add a huge amount to what is already known. I’m still writing in his later career, the impact of World War very glad I have it, and if you have no books in this One on the author’s view of the world and the claim area — go for it. WKDWWKLVVWRU\LVPRUHVFLHQFH¿FWLRQWKDQGHWHFWLYH AD ¿FWLRQ 3URIHVVRU 0F&DZ UHMHFWV WKH YLHZ WKDW WKH writing is weak. For example, Professor Presbury’s unorthodox search for eternal youth has much in Sherlock Holmes from Screen to Stage: Post- common with present day procedures. millennial Adaptations in British Theatre by The original 6WUDQG 0DJD]LQH story is included Benjamin Poore. 3DOJUDYH0DFPLOODQ , 2017. 268pp. with the facsimile of the manuscript and Professor £66.99 (hbk) McCaw’s scholarship. The manuscript is part of The Sherlock Holmes phenomenon is now the Richard Lancelyn Green’s bequest to the City of subject of serious academic commentary, some of Portsmouth, and our late Chairman, I am certain, it dull or pretentious. Fortunately, Benjamin Poore would have been so pleased to see it published writes to be read; he’s genuinely enthusiastic about alongside Sherlockian scholarship of the highest his subject and he communicates that enthusiasm. quality. This book is the perfect way to celebrate 7UDGLWLRQDOO\ WKH SOD\ FRPHV EHIRUH WKH ¿OP the ninetieth anniversary of the publication of 7KH True, Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett transferred &DVHERRNRI6KHUORFN+ROPHV . their own portrayals of the detective from screen to The frontispiece of this beautifully presented stage, with sharply contrasting results, but that’s not volume advises: “Read at once if convenient- if Dr Poore’s theme. He has attended as many Holmes inconvenient read all the same.” The reader will be plays as possible since 2000, read all the scripts he thoroughly absorbed! FRXOGDFFHVVDQGZDWFKHGDOOWKHDYDLODEOH¿OPDQG The book is available from www.visitportsmouth. TV adaptations. Consequently he can indicate how the co.uk/conandoyle/TheCreepingMan. writers of various plays have adopted aspects of, say, DJ 6KHUORFN or the Guy Ritchie blockbusters, and what XVHWKH\¶YHPDGHRIWKHP8QOLNHD¿OPWKRXJKD play can directly involve the audience. Usually that’s The Man Who Would be Sherlock by Christopher a comedy technique ( 0RYH 2YHU 0RULDUW\ , 3RWWHG Sandford. 7KH +LVWRU\ 3UHVV . 2017. 320pp. £20.00 6KHUORFN ) but Clive Francis and Simon Williams made (hbk) it a feature of their thrilling versions of 7KH+RXQG This book concerns Conan Doyle’s excursions into RI WKH %DVNHUYLOOHV , and others have followed suit. 128 One chapter examines the plays in which audience employees, was convicted and hanged. Conan Doyle interaction is a real comic or dramatic game. Another wrote: “After reading the evidence one is left with an looks at 7KH +RXQG RI WKH %DVNHUYLOOHV , the most irresistible impression that, though Mullins was very frequently and variably adapted story, but one of the likely guilty, the police were never able to establish least obviously suitable for the stage.