In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

Harrison is remarkable in tracing the footsteps of the great detective. By piecing together geographic clues as well as knowledge of London in the 1890's, he attempts to find the location of the stories in current (1958-1970) London. The book was first written soon after WW II, and memories of the bombing of some locations still resonate. For the Londoner these locations may be familiar, but for those on this side of the pond, a few maps would have really helped. So the reader might want to find one or use Google maps. The writing is best when Harrison allows himself to speculate about Holmes; for example being an orphan (and reluctances to appreciate home); his compassion at Christmas, or the attractiveness of different cases to him. Harrison places Holmes between a Victorian times and a more modern England (for example: electric lines and phones). Harrison may have these same sensibilities, "Holmes would catch the train at Paddington, and hardly notice any differences save that everything had gotten dirtier, and the people had become more uncouth". Now 50 years since this book was first written, a contemporary update would show how much London had changed since Holmes' times.