Ms. Holmes of Baker Street: The Truth about Sherlock

Ms. Holmes Of Baker Street: The Truth About Sherlock by C. Alan Bradley in collaboration with the late Sherlockian scholar William A.S. Sarjeant is a methodical survey and analysis of the literature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his detective sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. Imaginative, methodical, scholarly, iconoclastic and very highly recommended reading for the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans, Ms. Holmes Of Baker Street is as thoughtful and thought provoking, as it is controversial and unexpected.

The thesis of this book is rather remarkable -- as the authors C. Alan Bradley and William A.S. Sarjeant propose, there is something unusual about Sherlock Holmes. This is patently obvious even to those who have not read the stories of the official canon -- Holmes' mannerisms, skills, eccentric lifestyle and general demeanour are the stuff of legend around the world, so renowned that the line between fact and fiction is often blurred. Bradley and Sarjeant, as devoted Sherlock Holmes scholars, present Holmes here is a new and radically unexpected light. As their own researches show, their proposal is not entirely unique, having been suggested by a few in the past, and simultaneously by one in Japan. However, they still expected a barrage of criticism from their fellow Sherlockians/Holmesians for making the suggestion in an article that appeared in 'From the Mantlepiece'. What is this suggestion, you ask? Sherlock Holmes was a woman. Holmes would hardly be the first woman who had to disguise herself as a man to succeed in a man's world. Holmes would also unlikely be able to succeed in his/her chosen profession if known to be female -- even those professions in Victorian London open to women did not include consulting detective; Holmes as an amateur already suffered the scorn of the professional (if sometimes less competent) detectives of Scotland Yard and other provincial forces. The authors propose that most did not perceive Holmes' deepest secret -- Mrs. Hudson lacked the imagination, and others, when presented with ambiguity, always preferred to err on the side of giving Holmes the benefit of the doubt. Indeed, even Watson was fooled for a great long while. Of course, we know from a number of cases that Holmes was such a master of disguise that Watson was frequently fooled, so to fool him along these lines might be less incredible. The authors trace through clues, in true Holmes fashion, through all the stories of the canon, sifting for small details. Perhaps the best example comes from Holmes' encounter with 'the' woman, Irene Adler, in 'A Scandal in Bohemia', one of the most popular of stories. In Adler's relationship and cunning outwitting of Holmes, not only does she figure out Holmes' plan, but also his identity, placing over-emphasis on his identity as 'Mister Sherlock' Holmes (as opposed to a more simple Mr. Holmes), and even makes the sidewise allusion to Holmes' gender identity in her letter claiming to see through his disguise -- 'as an actress myself...Male costume is nothing new to me'. Adler claimed to occasionally adopt it for the freedom it gave, with an almost tangible aside, 'as do you' implied quite heavily. While the notion that Holmes was a woman rather than a man has not taken the Sherlock Holmes world by storm, it presents yet another area of intrigue and possibility in the depths of the legend and lore about Holmes. This book is a rare find, and, agree or disagree, it is a wonderful piece of reasoning