Holmes and the role of forensic science in England

The content aggregation site Scribd has recently posted a copy of a 2004 article from Science Direct, dealing with Holmes’ investigative methods and the development of forensic science.
Rather than inventing forensic science, the Holmes stories instead presented the ’science of criminal detection’ in a positive light in Britain. This was particularly important after the 1859 [...]

Doyle interested in spiritualism much earlier than previously thought

One of the most interesting aspects of the life of Arthur Conan Doyle was his interest in the supernatural, his belief in the existence of fairies, his participation in seances. How do you reconcile this with the fact that he was a highly educated doctor, and went on to create the ultimate rational thinker?
The way [...]

New “Lost World” DVD in stores

There’s a new DVD that contains two film versions of A.C. Doyle’s “The Lost World,” a silent film from 1925 and a 1960 version starring Michael Rennie and Claude Raines. The entertainment blog Monsters and Critics just ran a review of it, which is largely positive:
The best inclusion is the 1925 Lost World black and [...]

Sherlock Holmes weekend coming to ITV 3 in November

ITV 3 is planning a “Sherlock Holmes weekend” in November, and part of the celebration is a documentary on forensic science that includes a recreation of “A Study in Scarlet.” Actor Richard E. Grant will host the show, which producers say will attempt to put aside some of the popular misconceptions about how forensic “CSI [...]

Jonathan Pryce Sherlock Holmes series now on DVD!

Hey kids, guess what came out on DVD today – the first season of the BBC’s new Holmes series, “Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars“! Can’t wait to see this one, particularly since it stars Jonathan Pryce as the Great Detective. Fingers are crossed that it’s good.
Reviews, though, are mixed, but isn’t that always [...]

T.R.A.N.S.I.T. – a wonderful animated mystery short

Just found this today and had to share – “T.R.A.N.S.I.T.,” a 10-minute animated short centered around the death of oil tycoon Felix von Armstadt in 1928. The story is told backwards, a la Memento, and is a sight to behold.Here’s more information on the story behind the story, as well as some production notes addressing [...]

Your new reading list – MWA’s 100 best mysteries

Content aggregator Scribd has a scanned copy of the Mystery Writers of America’s 100 top mystery novels of all time. The complete list is here, and it makes for a great shopping list …
At the very top:

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (A.C. Doyle)
The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett)
Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Edgar Allan Poe)
The Daughter of [...]

Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke Interview

It’s always fascinating to see Brett out of character … it’s a reminder of just how much he inhabited the role of Holmes, to see how “wrong” it feels when he is himself! It’s also very tough to get used to the sight of him with an earring …