It’s been said that Sherlock Holmes is the most famous man who never lived and who, consequently, can never die. Just in the past decade, Holmes has repeatedly dazzled us with his deductions in blockbuster movies, two popular television series and dozens of new stories and novels. More than ever, enthusiastic devotees crowd exhibitions about the great detective, attend conventions in his honor and join “scion societies” of the revered Baker Street Irregulars, including the Red Circle of Washington, D.C.
However, given that “Elementary” is now on its final season, might Holmes’ caseload finally be growing lighter? Perhaps a little, though fans don’t need to worry about losing their Baker Street fix. This fall, for instance, Nicholas Meyer — whose 1974 novel, “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution,” set the bar for later writers of Sherlockian pastiche — will bring out “The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols.” Serious aficionados can also consult any issue of the Baker Street Journal, which always allots several pages to recent books about Holmes and his world. Such as, you ask?
Edited by the eminent English Sherlockian Nicholas Utechin, “The Complete Paget Portfolio” (Gasogene) showcases — in the words of its subtitle — “Every Sherlock Holmes Illustration by Sidney Paget Reproduced Directly from ‘The Strand’ Magazine, Including the Surviving Original Artwork.”
These early depictions of Holmes are nearly as iconic as Dr. Watson’s accounts of his investigations. The lean face, aquiline nose, piercing eyes — all are here from the beginning. Sidney Paget reportedly modeled the detective after his brother Walter and a photograph of the latter, reproduced here, makes that a near certainty. As it happens, both Pagets were artists — I own an edition of “Robinson Crusoe” beautifully illustrated by Walter Paget — and Sidney apparently got the Holmes commission through a mix-up: The Strand initially wanted Walter to do the art.