Let me first say that I am a Baring-Gould fan. If Baring –Gould said this is where Sherlock Holmes was or this is what Sherlock Holmes did, then it must be gospel. That is, until I read Don Libey’s “The Biography and Autobiography of Sherlock Holmes”. Mr. Libey provides us with a wonderful alternative to Baring-Gould that is rich in its details of the life of the great detective. The book is a combination of the biography of Sherlock Holmes as written by his brother, Mycroft and an autobiography by Sherlock himself subsequent to Watson’s death in the 1920’s.
While a biography of Holmes, the book does not leave out Mycroft, Watson or the Holmes family. Libey fills us in on the true history of the Holmes family; where they were from, where they got their wealth and how they related to each other. I especially appreciated Mycroft’s explination of how it took all three of our main players to see a situation through: The feeling Watson, the mental giant Mycroft and the synthesis of the two, the human and deductive Sherlock. Another interesting aspect was Sherlock’s statement that he had written a monograph on the ability to determine the breed and age of a horse by the hoofmarks as well as identify the farrier by the tool marks on the horseshoe. Having been a horseshoer for over 20 years now I can well attest to the later, each shoer works differently with his tools. But to tell breed and age is remarkable. I must find a copy of this monograph. I have no doubt that if anyone can perform this feat it is Sherlock.
This is an absolutely wonderful book and is well worth the price to add to your Sherlock Holmes collection. I very highly recommend it. The book is not only filled with interesting information, it is well written and flows easily. It is a great read.