The Basic Holmesian Library
Compiled by John Bennett Shaw
February 1983
Revised October 1988
Penzler 100
Otto Penzler, publisher, Mysterious Bookstore Press etc issued his list of 100 Sherlockian tomes in an article entitled “A Few (Million) Words About My Good Friend Holmes” Where JBS intersects – it is shown as OP.
Penzler also edited a book “The Big Book of Holmes” which contains many of the listings. Reflected as BBOH
The Canon
A STUDY IN SCARLET - ACD – 1887
THE SIGN OF FOUR – ACD – 1890
THE AVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – ACD – 1892
THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – ACD – 1894
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES – ACD – 1902
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – ACD – 1905
THE ADVENTURE OF THE DYING DETECTIVE - ACD – 1913
THE VALLEY OF FEAR – ACD – 1915
HIS LAST BOW – ACD – 1917
THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – ACD – 1927
THE ANNOTATED SHERLOCK HOLMES (2 volumes), 1967
Baring-Gould, William S. OP
THE BAKER STREET DOZEN, 1987
Doyle, P. J. and E.W. McDiarmid, editors
(An anthology of Doyle's 12 favorite stories with a 13th added to make it a 'Baker's Dozen')
SHERLOCK HOLMES , 8 Volumes – Limited Editions Club – 1950-52
The Canon, Apocrypha
TALES OF TERROR AND MYSTERY, 1947
Doyle, Arthur Conan
SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE PUBLISHED APOCRYPHA, 1980
Tracy, Jack, editor
FINAL ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1981
Haining, Peter , editor
(In many cases this is duplication however Haining has items not in Tracy, and vice versa.)
A SHERLOCK HOLMES CROSS-WORD PUZZLE – Frank V. Morley – 1938
APPOINTMENT IN BAKER STREET – Edgar W. Smith – 1938
General Writing About Sherlock Holmes
THE DETECTIVE BUSINESS – Robin Dunbar – 1909
JOSEPH BELL, M.D., F.R.C.S., J.P., D.L. ETC: AN APPRECIATION BY
AN OLD FRIEND – Jessie Saxby - 1913
SHERLOCK HOLMES OF BAKER STREET, 1962
Baring-Gould, William S. OP
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DOCTOR WATSON, 1931
Bell, H.W.
BAKER STREET STUDIES - Bell, H.W. 1934
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN AMERICA, 1981
Blackbeard, Bill, editor
SHERLOCK HOLMES: FACT OR FICTION, 1931
Blakeney, T.S. OP
SHERLOCK HOLMES: MASTER DETECTIVE, 1952
Blegen, Theodore C. and E.W. McDiarmid, editors
MY DEAR HOLMES, 1951
Brend, Gavin OP
SHERLOCKIAN STUDIES: SEVEN PIECES OF SBERLOCKIANA, 1917
Cutter, Robert A., editor OP
A SHERLOCK HOLMES COMMENTARY, 1972
Dakin, D. Martin
TOBACCO TALK IN BAKER STREET
Robert Storm Patterson and Tage La Cour - 1952
THE BEST OF THE PIPS: A Collection of the Writings about the Writings, 1955
The Five Orange Pips OP
STUDIES IN SHERLOCK HOLMES (Seven pamphlets), 1949-53
Grazebrook, O.F. OP
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES LETTERS, 1986
Green, Richard Lancelyn
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SCRAPBOOK, 1973
A SHERLOCK HOLMES COMPENDIUM, 1980 (Both are similar
and equally entertaining.)
Haining, Peter, editor
THE GAME IS AFOOT, 1983
FOR THE SAKE OF THE GAME, 1986
Hammer, David L.
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1987
Hardwick, Michael
THE WORLD OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1973
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES – 1958
A STUDY IN SURMISE: THE MAKING OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1984
Harrison, Michael
BEYOND BAKER STREET: A SHERLOCKIAN ANTHOLOGY, 1976
Harrison, Michael, editor
MURDER FOR PLEASURE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF
THE DETECTIVE STORY, 1941, Haycraft, Howard
THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY, 1983
Herbert, Paul D.
BAKER STREET BY-WAYS, 1959 OP
SEVENTEEN STEPS TO 221B, 1967
Holyroyd, James E.
THE ELEMENTARY METHODS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1987
Keefauver, Brad
EX LIBRIS A. CONAN DOYLE SHERLOCK HOLMES 1938
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN PORTRAIT AND PROFILE, 1963
Klinefelter, Walter OP
ESSAYS IN SATIRE, 1928 (This volume contains the
cornerstone of any Holmesian library, the essay
"Some Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes")
Knox, Ronald A. OP
DR. JOE BELL: MODEL FOR SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1982
Liebow, Ely M.
SHERLOCK HOLMES IS MR. PICKWICK – Wilbur K. McKee
SHERLOCK HOLMES DETECTED, 1974
McQueen, Ian
FOR THE SAKE OF THE TRUST: Sherlock Holmes and the Musgrave Ritual, 1982
Merrill, Edward A.
ART IN THE BLOOD, 1950
THREE TRIFLING MONOGRAPHS, 1952
SHOTS FROM THE CANON, 1953
Montgomery, James
CULTIVATING SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1978
The Norwegian Explorers
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A STUDY IN SOURCES, 1982
Redmond, Donald A.
HOLMES AND WATSON: A MISCELLANY, 1953
Roberts, S. C.
UNPOPULAR OPINIONS, 1946
Sayers, Dorothy L.
WEST BY ONE AND BY ONE: An Anthology of Irregular Writings, 1965
The Scrowers and Molly Maguires of San Francisco and
The Trained Cormorants of Los Angeles County
ON THE SCENT WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1978 Shepherd, Walter
THE BAKER STREET READER: Cornerstone Writings about
Sherlock Holmes, 1984 Shreffler, Philip A., editor
SIMPSON'S SHERLOCKIAN STUDIES (A series of Eight Pamphlets), 1953-60
Simpson, A. Carson OP
A BAKER STREET FOUR WHEELER: Sixteen Pieces of Sherlockiana, 1944
PROFILE BY GASLIGHT, 1944 OP
BAKER STRRET INVENTORY – 1945
A BAKER STREET QUARTETTE – 1950
THE NAPOLEON OF CRIME - 1953
BAKER STREET AND BEYOND, 1957
Smith, Edgar W., editor OP
THE INCUNABULAR SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1958
INTRODUCING MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1959
Smith, Edgar W.
LEAVES FROM THE COPPER BEECHES, 1959 OP
MORE LEAVES FROM THE COPPER BEECHES, 1976
Sons of the Copper Beeches
THE SECOND CAB, 1947 (Note: There are also three more volumes in series.)
The Speckled Band
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1933 - Starrett, Vincent OP
221B: STUDIES IN SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1940 -Starrett, Vincent, editor
THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA SHERLOCKIANA, 1977 -Tracy, Jack
A DOCTOR ENJOYS SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1959 - Van Liere, Edward J.
THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENTS CASE-BOOK, 1948
(Note: Two more volumes were issued.)
Williamson, J.N. and H.B. Williams, editors OP
The Literary Agent
THE LIFE OF SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, 1949
Carr, John Dickson OP
MEMORIES AND ADVENTURES, 1924 - Doyle, Arthur Conan OP
THE QUEST FOR SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Biographical Study of
Sir A.C. Doyle, 1983 - Edwards, Owen Dudley
THE QUEST FOR SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE:
13 Biographies in Search of a Life, 1987 - Lellenberg, Jon L., editor
CONAN DOYLE, 1966 - Nordon, Pierre
CONAN DOYLE: HIS LIFE AND ART, 1943 - Pearson, Hesketh
DOCTOR WATSON:PROLEGOMENA IN THE STUDY
OF A BIOGRAPHICAL PROBLEM – S.C. Roberts - 1931
Bibliography and Chronology
THE CHRONOLOGICAL HOLMES, 1955 - Baring-Gould, William S.
AN IRREGULAR CHRONOLOGY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
OF BAKER STREET, 1947 - Christ, Jay Finley OP
THE WORLD BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
AND DR. WATSON, 1974 OP
THE INTERNATIONAL SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1980
De Waal, Ronald B.
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF A. CONAN DOYLE, 1983
Green, Richard Lancelyn and John Michael Gibson
THE TIN DISPATCH BOX: A Compendium of the Unpublished Cases
of S. Holmes, 1965 - Redmond, Christopher A.
BAKER STREET INVENTORY: A Sherlockian Bibliography, 1945
SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE WRITINGS OF
JOHN H. WATSON, M.D., 1962 - Smith, Edgar W. OP
BAKER STREET CHRONOLOGY, 1953
Zeisler, Ernest Bloomfield OP
Performing Arts
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A Drama in Four Acts, 1922
ACD and William Gillette OP
THE PAINFUL PREDICAMENT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES:
A FANTASY IN ONE ACT- William Gillette - 1955
FOUR SHERLOCK HOLMES PLAYS, 1964 - Hardwick, Michael and Mollie
THE PUBLIC LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1975 - Pointer, Michael
THE FILMS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1978
Steinbrunner, Chris and Norman Michaels
THE SPECKLED BAND – ACD – 1912
A BAKER STREET SONGBOOK – Harvey Officer – 1943
A LAURISTON GARDEN OF VERSES - Helene Yuhasova – 1946
THE CROWN DIAMOND:AN EVENING WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES:
A PLAY IN ONE ACT -ACD - 1958
Specialized Items
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, 1980
Beaman, Bruce R., compiler
GOOD OLD INDEX, 1987 (Note: This is a much needed concordance to The Canon.) Goodrich, William D.
A PACKET OF SHERLOCKIAN BOOKPLATES – Walter Klinefelter -1964
A STUDY IN PICTURES – James Montgomery - 1984
DINING WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1976
Rosenblatt, Julia Carlson and Frederic H. Sonnenschmidt
SHERLOCK HOLMES BRIDGE DETECTIVE, 1973 Thomas, Frank
BASIL OF BAKER STREET, 1958 - Titus, Eve OP
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND MUSIC, 1947 - Warrack, Guy OP
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES ATLAS, 1952
A RAMBLE IN BOHEMIA - 1957
Wolff, Julian OP
PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BEE CULTURE WITH
SOME OBSERVATIONS UPON THE SEGREGATION
OF THE QUEEN – Sherlock Holmes - 1912
Parodies and Pastiches
THE CASE OF THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS, 1940
Boucher, Anthony OP
THE GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA, 1976 - Boyer, Richard L.
THE EXPLOITS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1960
Carr, John Dickson and Adrian Conan Doyle OP
THE SCIENCE FICTIONAL SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1960
Council of the Four, The
IN RE: SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE ADVENTURES
OF SOLAR PONS, 1945, Derleth, August OP BBOH one story
THE INCREDIBLE SCHLOCK HOLMES, 1956
THE MEMOIRS OF SCHLOCK HOLMES, 1974
Fish, Robert L. OP
THE RETURN OF MORIARTY, 1974 OP
THE REVENGE OF MORIARTY, 1975
Gardner, John
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1987
Greenberg, Martin Harry and Carol-Lynn Waugh, editors
THE PRISONER OF THE DEVIL, 1979 -Hardwick, Michael
A TASTE OF HONEY, 1941 - Heard, H. F.OP
THE INFERNAL DEVICE, 1979 - Kurland, Michael
ARSENE LUPIN VERSUS HERLOCK SHOLMES, 1910
Leblanc, Maurice
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION, 1974 - Meyer, Nicholas OP
THE MISADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, 1944
Queen, Ellery, editor OP
THE UNIQUE HAMLET, 1920 -Starrett, Vincent – OP BBOH
THE FACE AND THE MASK – Robert Barr -1894
THE PURSUIT OF THE HOUSE-BOAT:BEING SOME
FURTHER ACCOUNTS OF THE DIVERS DOINGS OF THE
ASSOCIATES SHADES, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF
SHERLOCK HOLMES, ESQ – John Kendrick Bangs – 1897
THE ADVENTURES OF PICKLOCK HOLES – R.C. Lehman – 1901
A DOUBLE BARRELED DETECTIVE STORY – Mark Twain – 1902
CONDENSED NOVELS SECOND SERIES NEW BURLEQUES
Bret Harte – 1902
THE EXPLOITS OF ARSENE LUPIN – Maurice Leblanc – 1907
SIXES AND SEVENS – O Henry – 1911 BBOH one story
THE ADVENTURE OF THE ELEVEN CUFF BUTTONS, 1918
James Francis Thierry
CARRINGTON’S CASES J. Storer Clouston – 1920
BOOK OF THE QUEEN’S DOLL’S HOUSE LIBRARY
E.V. Lucas (ed) – 1924
A NIGHT WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES
William O. Fuller - 1929 BBOH
PARTNERS IN CRIME – Agatha Christie – 1929
HOW SHERLOCK HOLMES SOLVED THE
MURDER OF EDWIN DROOD - - Harry B. Smith – 1934
THE CASE OF THE MISSING PATRIARCHS
Logan Clendening – 1934 BBOH
THE FIELD BAZAAR – ACD – 1934 – parody written in 1896 BBOH
A SHERLOCK HOLMES BIRTHDAY, AND OTHER
BOOKISH STORIES CONCEIVED IN THE FORM OF NEWS
Charles Honce -1938.
DESIGN FOR MURDER – Percival Wilde – 1941
THE STRANGE CASEE OF THE MEGATHERIUM THEFTS
S.C. Roberts – 1945 BBOH
SOME NOTES ON A MEETING AT CHISAM
Robert John Bayer – 1948
WATSON’S CHOICE – Gladys Mitchell – 1955
AN ADVENTURE OF OILOCK COMBS:THE SUCCORDED BEAUTY
William B. Kahn – 1964
A STUDY IN TERROR – Ellery Queen -1966
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN TIBER – Richard Wincor – 1968 –
“probably the worst book about Holmes”
THE ADVENTURES OF HERLOCK SHOLMES
Peter Todd – 1976
complied by Jonathan Shimberg