Anthologies

Sixty original tales of Sherlock Holmes—which one is the best? In sixty essays, sixty Sherlockians make the case for each of the stories. Their arguments range from the playful to the academic, and are as varied as the authors themselves. As editor Christopher Redmond says, “What they have written is compelling evidence that any one of the Sherlock Holmes stories can be the best; it’s all a matter of what the reader is looking for.” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales range from Victorian horror, to jewel heists, to society scandals. As these authors show, there’s a Sherlock Holmes adventure for every taste.

What do Superman, Gertrude Stein, the Beatles, Lord Shiva, the Wizard of Oz, and Hermione Granger have in common? They share essential characteristics with iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, explored in Sherlock Holmes is Like: Sixty Comparisons for an Incomparable Character. In his introduction, editor Christopher Redmond says “The essays in this collection are not an analysis of what Sherlock Holmes is like (brilliant, unsociable, hawk-nosed) but rather case studies of whom he can be said to be like. Their sixty suggestions range across centuries and continents, and include figures from belief and legend as well as from contemporary fiction and film. Some are household names, while others will be unknown to nearly all readers. In each case, while the author has been encouraged to provide an introduction to the character in question, the ultimate purpose of the comparison is to shed light on some aspect of the character of Sherlock Holmes, whose complexities are far from exhausted more than 130 years after he was introduced to a curious readership.”

A Sherlock Holmes Book Like No Other Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street contains 37 essays, personal reflections, and short stories that use baking as a springboard, and a springboard only—it is not a cookbook. Subjects range from a progressive dinner mystery to the revelation that one of the original Holmes stories is actually a secret code for a recipe that will probably kill you; a very nice traybake of kitchen fire adventures; death by flour; thoughts about dopamine as it relates to milk, cookies, and Sherlock Holmes; and the power of Japanese bean paste to turn Sherlock into a very real boy by way of the movie Mr. Holmes. The anthology is the brainchild of Margie Deck, a long-time Sherlockian and skilled amateur baker devoted to the Great British Baking Show. The pun of Baking Street and Baker Street was too much for her busy brain to resist during lockdown, when everyone with an oven decided to start baking. She invited New York Times best-selling author, avid Sherlockian and baker Nancy Holder onto the project. For the last eight months they have collected and edited contributions to Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street from Sherlockians in Italy, India, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK. The work also includes an interview with the screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher and two illustrations by the Australian artist J. Scherpenhuizen.The book features superstars in the Sherlockian world and seasoned writing stars from other genres.Statements of Advance Praise “There is nothing half-baked or cookie-cutter about this charming confection of culinary-themed Sherlockian fact, fiction and fancy. The editors, with a finger in every pie, have separated the wheat from the chaff for readers, and without over-egging the pudding, this collection proves you can have your Sherlockian cake and read it too! Bon appétit.”--Charles Prepolec, BSI, MBt Editor, Gaslight Gothic: Strange Tales of Sherlock Holmes “Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street is a smorgasbord of delightful stories, essays, and articles that will satisfy the hunger of its readers. My mouth was watering as I turned the pages and you, too, will find yourselves returning for a second helping.”-- Greg D. Ruby, BSI, ASH The SOB in Charge at the Sherlockians of Baltimore“ The stories, references, and recipes found within these pages are as varied and entertaining as the Adventures they are based on. A must read for anyone with a taste for the flavors of Sherlock Holmes, baking, or both!”-- Crystal Noll, ASH 221B Con Director, The Serpentine Muse Co-editor