New to Holmes? Here's a Reading List

Leslie S. Klinger

The popularity of Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes films, "BBC Sherlock," and now "Elementary" have swelled the ranks of Holmes devotees in recent years. While apparently not every Sherlockian is thrilled by all this new blood, I think it's wonderful.

But I suspect the vast amount of available printed material relating to the great detective must be a little intimidating for someone who wants to move beyond the screen and into the printed word. So much to read, so little time!

Now comes Leslie S. Klinger, author of the The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes and much more, to the rescue. He has compiled an invaluable reading list of the classics in the field, starting with the Canon and moving outward to steller works by such storied names as Knox, Bell, Smith, Starrett, Baring-Gould, and DeWaal.

This list, originally compiled for an extension class on "Sherlock Holmes and His World" that Klinger teaches at UCLA, might be viewed as version of John Bennett Shaw's famous "Basic Holmes Library."  

Klinger's list is excellent, but it contains an important gap: His own books aren't mentioned. For that you have to go to his website. Please do.