The Adventures of Solar Pons (1976)

Unique among Sherlock Holmes pastiches are the adventures of Solar Pons "the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street." On hearing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had no plans to write more Holmes stories, 19-year-old August Derleth wrote the author asking permission to take over the series. Doyle declined, so Derleth created his own detective, Solar Pons, modeled very closely on Sherlock and his world. Derleth would ultimately write more Pons stories than Doyle wrote about Holmes.

First published in 1945, this is a 1976 UK paperback of the first collection of Pons stories with terrific cover art.

In his inverness cape Solar Pons steps briskly from No 7B Praed Street onto the mist-shrouded cobblestones of old London's alleyways. 

The game is afoot... 

The Adventure of the Frightened Baronet

The Adventure of the Late Mr. Faversham

The Adventure of the Black Narcissus

The Adventure of the Norcross Riddle

The Adventure of the Retired Novelist

The Adventure of the Three Red Dwarfs

The Adventure of the Sotheby Salesman

The Adventure of the Purloined Periapt

The Adventure of the Limping Man

The Adventure of the Seven Passengers

The Adventure of the Lost Holiday

The Adventure of the Man With a Broken Face

Title: The Adventures of Solar Pons
Author: August Derleth
Year: 1976 (first published 1945)
Publisher: Futura
Purchase: Amazon.co.uk.

Check out the official Solar Pons website: www.solarpons.com. You can also Like Solar Pons on Facebook.