The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Okay, this isn't a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, but I wanted to celebrate the 40th anniversary today of the first airing in the U.S. of the great Granda series starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes (it had premiered in the UK a year before). Still the best Holmes adaptations, IMO, and I love this Dell paperback from 1985 that tied-in with the series. Now that's a Holmes for the '80s!

"Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot!"

Here, in thirteen of his finest adventures––brought together for the first time in one paperback volume––Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous detective, helps governesses in distress, clears young men wrongly accused of dire crimes, and catches criminals in cases hopelessly bungled by Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. No sinister development can dissuade Holmes from pursuing each mystery to its brilliant conclusion––not even the malevolent cunning of Morality, his arch enemy, the Napoleon of Crime. 

Just as the Granada TV series carries us back, with stunning authenticity, into the fascinating Victorian era, these stories carry us into a world of mystery without parallel, setting a standard still unsurpassed in a century of detective fiction.

If you also love Jeremy Brett and the Granada series as well, I HIGHLY recommend The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast.

Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Year: 1985
Publisher: Dell
Purchase: Amazon.

The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1973)

I'm pushing the boundaries of this blog's pastiche only concept to offer up an "enriched edition" of original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle edited by Harry Shefter. I just can't resist '70s paperbacks with great cover art, and this fits that bill!

Twelve of the most exciting adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his faithful assistant, Dr. Watson, are included in this collection. Generations of readers marveled at the extraordinary powers of deduction of this master detective––and his fame seems to mount with the passing years. 

A Scandal in Bohemia

The Red-Headed League

A Case of Identity

The Boscombe Valley Mystery

The Five Orange Pips

The Man with the Twisted Lip The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

Reader's Supplement

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Title: The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Year: 1973
Publisher: Pocket Books
Purchase: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

LINK: The Adventure of the Canonical Wonder Woman

As far as I know, there has yet to be a pastiche in which Sherlock Holmes meets Wonder Woman. But now the good folks at Sherlock Peoria speculate that the great detective may have already met the Amazon in the original canon itself!

 . . . Violet de Merville, young, rich, beautiful, accomplished, a wonder-woman in every way. 

This is clever theory, so click the headline to have a read at Sherlock Peoria.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987)

I'm once again slipping in a canonical entry because I love this Penguin paperback from 1987 with the great Jeremy Brett on the cover. Still my favorite Holmes, even in this age of Cumberbatch.

SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS IN SEVEN SPINE-TINGLING TALES OF DETECTION

With the faithful Watson at his side, the inimitable Sherlock Holmes faces some mind-boggling puzzles–and manages to come out on top every time! Holmes's clever investigations in "The Six Napoleons," "The Musgrave Ritual," "The Empty House," and the other intriguing cases replete with treachery, duplicity, and murderous evil display the unique powers of his eagle eye and brilliant brain.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a dramatic series on Mystery!, a PBS television series presented by WGBH-TV, Boston, made possible by a grant from Mobil Corporation.

Title: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Year: 1987
Publisher: Penguin
Purchase: Amazon

Memories of Sherlock Holmes (1949)

This is canon, not a continuation, but this cover is wild enough to be a pastiche! This is a 1949 Bantam paperback edition of Conan Doyle's Memories of Sherlock Holmes. Below is a description of the cover from the inside flap.

About THE COVER

The Reichenback [sic] Falls! In a homely Alpine village, set down among lonely mountain pass, Sherlock Holmes at last met Moriarty, King of the Underworld.

There, in the spray that steamed up from the boiling pit below, where the swollen torrent crashed down on the cold black rocks, balanced in a battle over the edge of the giant abyss, Holmes and Moriarty held their last contest, a fight to the death for one–or both.

Title: Memories of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Year: 1949
Publisher: Bantam Books
Purchase: Amazon

A Study in Scarlet (2011)

This one is canonical, but much like the 1985 copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I shared here, I love how this 2011 BBC Books edition of Doyle's first Holmes adventure, A Study In Scarlet, uses the reigning Holmes and Watson on the cover. In this case it's Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman from the hugely popular television series, Sherlock.

The hit BBC series Sherlock has introduced a new generation of fans to Sir Arthur Conon Doyle's legendary detective. The debate episode took as its inspiration Conan Doyle's first Holmes novel, and this new edition of A Study in Scarlet, with an introduction by Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, allows fans to discover how it all started.

A Study in Scarlet is a potent mix of murder, suspense, cryptic clues, red herrings and revenge. It introduces us to the world-famous characters of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and Inspector Lestrade as they join forces for the first time to track a mysterious killer that stalks London's streets. 

Title: A Study in Scarlet
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Year: 2011
Publisher: BBC Books
Purchase: Amazon.co.uk

SHERLOCK HOLMES, NO. 1 (1975)

In 1975, D.C. Comics attempted to add Sherlock Holmes to their pantheon of superheroes with SHERLOCK HOLMES, NO. 1. This was an adaptation of The Final Problem and The Adventure of the Empty House with an emphasis on ACTION (of course). There was never an issue No. 2.

Title: SHERLOCK HOLMES, NO. 1

Author: Dennis J. O'Neil & E.R. Cruz

Year: 1975

Publisher: National Periodical (D.C. Comics)

Purchase: Amazon.