The Early Punch Parodies of Sherlock Holmes

Genius. Braggart. Scientist. Fraud. Writers have portrayed Sherlock Holmes as all that and more in their quest to amuse readers. “The Early Punch Parodies of Sherlock Holmes” brings together the major stories, reviews, briefs, jokes, and illustrations that appeared in the legendary British humor magazine during Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s lifetime.

Annotated and presented in chronological order, this scrapbook charts the rise of Conan Doyle as a writer and public figure and the meteoric popularity of the world’s greatest consulting detective.

“The Early Punch Parodies of Sherlock Holmes” contains:

• The 17 stories in R.C. Lehmann’s “The Adventures of Picklock Holes."
• P.G. Wodehouse’s Sherlockian parodies “Dudley Jones, Bore-Hunter” and “The Prodigal.”
• Briefs and article excerpts that praise and poke fun at Conan Doyle’s work and beliefs.
• Five complete Holmes parodies including two that haven’t been seen for a century.
• Cartoons by Punch artists E.T. Reed, Bernard Partridge and others.
• Reviews of Conan Doyle’s books, including two of the “Sherlock Holmes” play starring William Gillette.
• Notes on the historical background of the articles and writers, essays on Lehmann, Wodehouse and Punch, plus a new short story featuring Mark Twain and John H. Watson!

More than a collection of humorous stories, “The Early Punch Parodies of Sherlock Holmes” shows how Sherlock Holmes shaped the culture, and how the culture shaped our view of Sherlock Holmes.

The 223B Casebook Series from Peschel Press reprints the Sherlock Holmes parodies and pastiches published during Arthur Conan Doyle’s lifetime. In addition to being fun to read, the books show how contemporary writers reacted to Conan Doyle’s life and works, and how they reshaped Holmes for their own uses. The result is valuable insight into the “history behind the mystery” of the great detective‘s popularity and endurance.