In this one volume, published by Gaslight Publications in 1990, are all 32 of perhaps the funniest parodies of Sherlock Holmes ever written. It's one of the gems of my Sherlockian library, The late Robert L. Fish, also a mystery writer of some accomplishment, wrote these hysterical stories between 1960 and his death in 1981.
Within these pages Homes and his faithful Whatney venture forth from 221B Bagel Street to battle the villainous Professor Marty and Colonel Moron with the help of Criscroft Homes, Inspector Ballustrade, and Mrs. Essex.
Some of the stories play on familiar titles, such as "The Adventure of the Spectacled Band," "The Adventure of Black, Peter," and "The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clark." But others are entirely original, including "The Adventure of the Adam Bomb" and "The Adventure of the Snared Drummer."
Vincent Starrett, reviewing in 1966 The Incredible Schlock Homes -- a collection of the first 12 adventures -- cited one of my favorite lines in the entire cycle. Whatney is shocked at Homes's latest disguise, which fooled even him. "But you are fully a foot shorter!" the good doctor exclaims. "Special shoes," Homes explains.
What's your favorite parody of Sherlock Holmes?
Mine is the very first I read, The Stolen Cigar-Case by Bret Harte. I've read it a thousand times and still find it funny. Spanish author Enrique Jardiel Poncela also wrote a very funny collection of parodies but they'd probably lose a lot in translation- his is a Marxesque kind of humour, depending very much on puns and wordplay.
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