By Kurt Anthony Krug
Legal News
Even though he owns The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, the oldest and largest mystery-themed bookstore in the world, Otto Penzler didn’t read mysteries growing up.
“I always loved to read but almost never read mysteries when I was young, preferring adventure and science-fiction, as well as non-fiction about animals and American history. After working through heavy literature at (the University of) Michigan – Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, Herman Melville, even some (James) Joyce, etc. – I wanted to read just for fun and to rest my brain when I got back to New York and thought I’d start with mysteries. After the complete Sherlock Holmes, tons of John Dickson Carr, Rex Stout, and Agatha Christie, I discovered (Dashiell) Hammett and (Raymond) Chandler and realized that serious literature was produced in the mystery genre,” recalled Penzler, who graduated from U-M in 1963 with his undergraduate degree in English literature.
Penzler’s love for Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, started in 1963 and began his passion for collecting books. Penzler, along with friends, has been a member of the Baker Street Irregulars – a literary society founded in 1934, named after the street urchins Holmes employs as his intelligence agents – for more than four decades.
It was a natural fit for him to serve as editor and provide the introduction of “The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes,” the largest anthology of Holmes’s stories ever assembled to date.
“There are many hundreds – check that – thousands of books, stories and articles about Holmes, and I have been familiar with all the important ones,” said Penzler. “Still, there never has been one as massive as this. I thought it would be great for Sherlockians to have access to all the major parodies and pastiches in a single volume. Fortunately, my editor at Vintage agreed.”
This anthology features stories by Loren D. Estleman, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Anne Perry, Tanith Lee, Leslie S. Klinger, John T. Lescroart, Thomas Perry, et al. It showcases work by many of Doyle’s contemporaries, including J.M. Barrie, A.A. Milne and O. Henry. The book also features appearances by Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin.
It took Penzler a year to to compile and edit this anthology, “As is true for virtually all of the ‘Big Books’ I’ve edited for Vintage, it’s a full year from the time the book is proposed until the manuscript is delivered. I read more than 400 stories to come up with the 83 in this book, and clearing permissions is often a hugely time-consuming challenge,” said Penzler, who also edited “The Best American Mystery Stories 2015” with New York Times best-selling novelist James Patterson and also edited “The Big Book of Jack the Ripper,” which is slated for a 2016 release.
Holmes debuted in Conan Doyle’s 1887 novella “A Study in Scarlet.” His adventures are chronicled by his friend and associate, Dr. John Watson. With his deerstalker cap (although he was never described to have worn one in Conan Doyle’s stories) and long pipe, Holmes was a brilliant detective who was tall and thin and lived at 221B Baker St. He was an expert marksman, a skilled swordsman, and master of hand-to-hand combat whose skill set including bare-knuckles boxing and martial arts. He had extraordinary powers of observation and a knowledge of the hard sciences, which would later influence forensics.
“I also like the fact that he is entirely cerebral and logical – traits I admire – yet is also eccentric, unpredictable, and colorful – traits I also admire,” said Penzler.
Holmes’ greatest nemesis is Prof. James Moriarty, who is the anti-Holmes: intelligent, cunning, methodical, Holmes’ equal in every way. Interestingly enough, Moriarty made only one appearance under the pen of Conan Doyle in the 1893 story “The Final Problem.” Subsequent writers brought him back.
“Conan Doyle had the extraordinary ability to make many characters compelling, including Moriarty and Mycroft (Holmes’ brother). They are extreme figures, described in a captivating way. ‘He is the organizer of half that is evil and nearly all that is undetected in this great city,’ and ‘He sits motionless, like a spider in the center of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them.’ Come on. How could you not be compelled to read more?” explained Penzler.
Holmes has influenced many characters, not to mention has been spoofed and paid homage to multiple times. His adventures has been adapted into other media, including the stage, radio, television, and film. Many actors have portrayed the famous detective.
Most recently, Holmes has been portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in “Sherlock Holmes” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Downey’s portrayal of Holmes in the first movie earned him a Golden Globe Award. Earlier this summer, Oscar nominee Ian McKellen played a retired Holmes who returns tr to solve an unsolved case in “Mr. Holmes,” based on the 2005 novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind” by Mitch Cullin.
Gregory House, played by Hugh Laurie on “House, M.D.” – the Fox television drama that ran from 2004-12 – was inspired by Holmes. He was a brilliant physician but very anti-social. Holmes’ anti-social tendencies have been played up on the BBC’s “Sherlock” and CBS’ “Elementary” – both of which are set in contemporary times – where Holmes is played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, respectively. In “Elementary,” U-M alumna Lucy Liu plays Dr. Joan Watson, a female version of Watson.
Penzler admitted that he doesn’t watch “Sherlock” and “Elementary.”
“I’m told they are excellent, but I seldom have enough time off to watch television – except Yankees games in the season, which I record pretty much every day or night and watch when I get home, no matter how late,” he confessed.
Penzler gave his point of view on what gives Holmes such staying power after 128 years.
“Many, many elements, and entire books have been written on the subject. One is that he is brilliant and confident, and when so much in the world is chaotic and confusing, it’s a comfort to find some who is pretty much always right. He also symbolizes justice and pursues it ardently. Yes, he may allow a killer to go free, which is not what the law requires, but justice – in his case – does. Again, in the real world, where justice too seldom triumphs, this is a great comfort,” he explained. “Holmes may be, as Watson said, ‘the best and wisest man whom I have ever known.’ It has been a joy to be immersed in stories about him for the past year.”
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