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3. Review: 'Conan Doyle, Holmes & Devon' |
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The following book review was written by Alistair Duncan and posted on Amazon.co.uk on 8 July 2010. He is a member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London, The Conan Doyle (Crowborough) Establishment and The Sydney Passengers. Duncan is also the author of three recent books; Eliminate the Impossible (Feb. 2008), Close to Holmes (Feb. 2009) and The Norwood Author (March 2010):
Back in 2009 my second book "Close to Holmes" was published. It was praised by many as a book that could be used as a reference work as well as a travel guide.
The same can easily be said for "Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Devon: A Complete Tour Guide & Companion" by Paul Spring, Brian Pugh and Sadru Bhanji.
It is essentially broken down into five sections. There are chapters on Arthur Conan Doyle; George Turnavine Budd, his one-time medical partner; George Newnes, the notable publisher; and Bertram Fletcher Robinson, the journalist and author. The final and largest chapter is the Devon tour.
The sections on the four men are not comprehensive biographies but that is not their intention. The purpose of these smaller chapters is to give you a good idea of who these men were, their relationship to each other and, more importantly, their relationship to Devon. This goal is achieved with great success. It is like being introduced to the actors in a great drama before the curtain goes up.
The fifth section is a guide to some thirty Devon locations with connections to the Sherlock Holmes stories or the lives of Doyle, Budd, Newnes and Robinson. All the locations come with maps, written directions and notes explaining their relevance. The locations cover everything from houses to graveyards and all have strong links. Other books have often gone to great lengths to mention locations or people with tenuous links to the work of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. The same cannot be said for this book.
Even if you have no plans to go to Devon this book deserves a place on your shelf. If you do go to Devon it will be an invaluable companion.
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By Paul Spiring 2010.
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BFR Matters