Mark Barton Books

This play far exceeded my expectations when I directed it with middle school students. Initially I was fearful that it would not resonate with the sophisticated tastes of today's adolescents. However, I was quickly proven wrong when they adapted quickly to the homespun simplicity, adventure, and romance of the characters in rehearsal. They enjoyed working on the costumes, sets, and props. The songs were easy for average singers to perform successfully. One of my students played the piano accompaniment, but a production tape is also available from the publisher. The play was well received by my school faculty and parents. With around 21 speaking parts and room for extras to be added, it can involve a large number or students. Out of many plays I have produced with middle school students, this is one of my top picks.

I found this book in a used book store on a trip West. As someone interested in Sherlock Holmes, I picked it up since the price was right. I almost didn't. I once received as a gift a book edited by two of the three editors of this volume, the second two listed here. It was almost unreadable. The subjects of its essays were rehashes of topics done better by other (real) writers or had little connection to Sherlock Holmes, except in name, like one about Sherlock Holmes and God. The writing was questionable at best. And the two editors just can't edit. It looked like another of those vanity press efforts by some local Sherlock Holmes club with more moxy and money than talent. I gave it away as soon as I found someone willing to accept it.

I started leafing through this book before recognizing it was by the same group and the same editors plus one. But I found listed in the contents several names I recognized from my reading about Sherlock Holmes in other books even if along with some of the pseudowriters from the other book. Many of these essays were of far more interest than the earlier volume. It even had some fiction and some humor. And a third editor was listed, the first one listed here, though he came last on this book's title page. But his name should come first alphabetically as here. Curious. On the strength of the other editor and the listed topics and because it was priced cheap, I bought it. I still didn't expect much. I was pleasantly surprised.

Besides a pompous, overwritten, self-glorifying introduction by a man listed as president of the group publishing it, who probably broke his arm patting himself on the back, and a woefully inadequate and trite rehash of Sherlock Holmes's film career, a lot of the stuff in this book is good and some really good. I really like a story explaining what happened to Dr. Watson's wife, written from Watson's perspective like the original Holmes stories. It was well-written and heartfelt. Probably one of the best I've read, and worth the cost of the book alone. In fact everything in this book was better than the other, which I think was published later than this one. Why the difference? Besides many different writers than the other book, I deduced like Holmes that it was the third editor, the one who had no involvement in the other book, that made the difference. Like the dog in the nightime, he did nothing in the other book. So logic dictates he must have done much for this one. Further investigation uncovered that this editor is a professional writer. His name turns up many times if you search for it here. The others don't, not even for the other book they edited. Case solved. The third editor must have done a lot of writing behind the scenes on this book. He also wrote one of the stories. So maybe he did just too good and that's why the other two no longer work with him, or he with them. His being listed last in the book while his name comes first alphabetically suggests some ulterior motive for the listing and later disassociation. Jealousy maybe on the parts of the less talented editors. If they had any sense they'd have hired him to help with the other book and would get him back if they plan to publish further anthologies, especially if they only use the same people from their own club again. They need real writers and real editors if they want to sell much outside their own circle of friends. Fortunately this book has some real writers and one real editor and is mostly very readable and enjoyable.

My advice. If you find this book in a used book store with a price in the low teens or less like I did, buy it. Look too for anything else by the first editor listed alphabetically here. Same for anything by the author of the Watson story, John Burrows(?) I think. Avoid like bubonic plague anything by either or both the second two editors especially if published under their club name "the Illustrious Client's". There's too much over priced poorly written and edited books in the Sherlock Holmes small press world. Thankfully except in part this is not one of them.