Anyone who's fighting to keep Britain's libraries open - it's unthinkable that anyone could even contemplate this - there is a Facebook page, just search for "save our libraries" and the UK page will show up...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Release Date: December 16, 2011
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenwriter: Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Fry, Rachel McAdams
Official Website: SherlockHolmes2.com

Plot Summary: Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room... until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.

The BBC’s Sherlock To Go Head To Head With Guy Richie’s Movies In Live Worldwide Debate (MX Publishing, London)

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8811159.htm

The BBC’s Sherlock will go head to head with the Sherlock Holmes movies of Guy Richie in a live worldwide debate on 10th November. Two panels of leading Holmes experts and historians from the UK, USA and Australia will argue which is making the most contribution to the Sherlock Holmes legacy. Both have millions of fans but which is best for the Holmes character? It’s the number one topic amongst serious Holmes fans and the debate will pit two teams against each other - live (MX Publishing, London)

Update October 14th 2011: After huge pressure from fans, we have added a third team to the debate. The fans have argued that although there hasn’t been a major ‘traditional’ adaptation of Holmes in the last decade, the ongoing and enduring influence of, at very least the Granada series with Jeremy Brett, should have a voice. Team 3 brings together the traditional adaptations and whilst the ITV series is the most iconic, will also include team members from several adaptations that stay very close to the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories.

A recent episode of QI had Stephen Fry and Frank Skinner both opining that Columbo was the greatest ever fictional detective. I have to disagree furiously with them. He was an irritating little man played by a not-very-good actor, and after the first few episodes, became virtually unwatchable because they were all identical and somewhat boring. His methods of deduction were interesting and methodical, but they were based almost entirely on those employed by Mr Sherlock Holmes, who for me is the only candidate for the appellation "greatest ever fictional detective". It must be the measure of how great a fictional character is by the number of literary outpourings about him or her that exist, surely? How many "Columbo" books do you see on the bookshelves? And how many Sherlock Holmes volumes? The case is closed in my opinion, and I would defend my decision against anyone!

Two works featuring the greatest fictional detective of them all this month. The first from Collector's Library Editions, and containing literally, the complete Sherlock Holmes, the four full-length novels and the fifty-six short stories that make up this astonishing oeuvre. Secondly, from BBC Books, a rather handsome paperback featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on the cover in an entirely new edition of A STUDY IN SCARLET, in which we are first introduced to Holmes and Watson. It's always a privilege to examine a new edition of any Sherlock Holmes, and there are any number of editions to be had. These two just happen to have come my way. Let's look at the "Complete Sherlock Holmes" first, and see what transpires...

THE COMPLETE SHERLOCK HOLMES

COLLECTOR'S LIBRARY EDITIONS - CRW PUBLISHING

Sherlock Holmes is the greatest fictional detective in the world. The hero of 56 short stories and four novels, he is so convincing that letters still arrive at 221b Baker Street seeking his help, and when it was thought that he had died in his clash with the evil Professor Moriarty ('the Napoleon of Crime') young men in London wore black armbands. This handsome edition, bound in real cloth, with head and tail bands, a ribbon marker, top edge gilt and a gold-blocked jacket, presents all of the short stories, many illustrated by Sidney Paget, who prepared these drawings for the original publication in "The Strand Magazine". It also contains the four novels: "A Study in Scarlet" in which Holmes and Dr Watson first meet, "The Sign of the Four", "The Valley of Fear" and the chilling masterpiece "The Hound of the Baskervilles". This title features an Introduction by David Stuart Davies, former editor of "Sherlock Holmes: The Magazine". I now have this magnificent volume to hand, and in all honesty, I have never seen a "Complete Sherlock Holmes" of this quality before. It is, literally, huge, printed beautifully in two columns, giving the impression of a facsimile of turn-of-the-nineteenth-century weekly story magazines. It's not till you get to the short story collections that the illustrations kick in, but really you don't notice it, because reading Holmes is a joy with or without illustrations, and the print quality of this volume is perfect. I love books that have a ribbon marker - it gives them a touch of quality. The William Morris print on the front cover is simply beautiful, and the look and feel of the book make you believe you are holding something quite extraordinary. A stunning book. Simply stunning. If you're a fan of the BBC's SHERLOCK and want to get to grips with the original stories, there are plenty of editions available. But none are quite so handsome and collectable as this one. Put it on your Christmas list - it won't break the bank and is already collectable in my opinion.

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE: A STUDY IN SCARLET

BBC Books PB

The hit BBC series Sherlock offers a fresh, contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and has helped introduce a whole new generation of fans to the legendary detective. The debut episode took as its inspiration the very first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet - and this new edition of Conan Doyle's novel will allow Sherlock fans to discover, or re-discover, the power of that classic story. A Study in Scarlet is the genre-defining work with which popular crime fiction was born. A potent mix of serial murder, suspense, cryptic clues, red herrings and revenge, the novel introduces us to the world-famous characters of Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson and Inspector Lestrade and sees Sherlock and Dr Watson meet and join forces for the first time as they track a mysterious killer that stalks London's streets. In addition to the original text, this edition also has an introduction by Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, who explains how it inspired the Sherlock script. BBC Books take this opportunity to release the first ever Sherlock Holmes novel, using their revamped SHERLOCK to haul in the readers. The story is timeless, a true modern classic, and Moffat's introduction is excellent, describing the way he was drawn to the great detective in a way that almost exactly parallels my own, way back in the 1950s. A highly collectable version of a classic story. This arrived before the "Complete Sherlock Holmes" above. I'm not entirely sure if it was the photograph of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on the front cover that inspired me to re-read this very first adventure of Holmes and Watson, or if it was simply the case that I'd read absolutely everything else I'd received, or didn't really fancy any of the other titles at that particular moment. At any rate, read it I did and was once again immersed in the murky backwaters of Victorian London, a world of hansom cabs, street urchins and archetypal villains. I don't remember the opening passages of part two, in which the Mormons, on their way to establish their settlement in Salt Lake City, rescue two strangers from the desert... I'm ashamed to say, so I'm doubly glad to have been given the opportunity to re-read this wonderful book. Having said that, I do already own a couple of other editions of THE SIGN FOUR and indeed, a two-volume "complete" from Carlton... nevertheless, this is a brilliant first Holmes, and if the BBC TV series, now progressing towards a much-anticipated second series in the new year, draws a new crowd of people into the magic and mystery of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best-loved detective, then the BBC have done a stirling job. And readers can then move on to purchase the magnificent new "Complete Sherlock Holmes" from Collectors' Library Editions... and their lives will be suitably enriched!

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