I'd like to thank the following people for their contributions to this book.
First I'd like to thank Karen Downing: fellow Sherlockian, wife, mother, and possible future resident of a quaint English cottage. I'd also like to thank Ronald Downing: my father and co-editor. Pat McElroy and Bill Creekbaum provided early feedback and comments.
There were many sources of inspiration from the annals of deduction, forensic analysis, crime, psychology and history. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor, Dr. Joseph Bell, made numerous real-world deductions that served as the inspiration for many of the original Sherlock Holmes stories and pastiches, including some in this book. "The Missing Fiancé" and "A Walk in the Park" are dedicated to these masters of deduction. "The Typewritist" has deductions similar to those by John Tyrell in his 1922 investigation of the Yule Bomb killer. "The Decorative Button" contains several deductions actually made by forensic scientists. Similarly, the chemical tests described in "The Doctor" and "The Case of the Invisible Marks" indeed exist. Handwriting analysis, arson investigation, and ballistics also are three other tools of the trade that came into being around the time of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Edward Henry, who is featured in "The Case of the Invisible Marks", is credited by many as modernizing the fingerprinting in England. "The Diamond Jubilee" and "Ophelia" take advantage theories of psychology. "The hierarchy of needs" was a theory of Abraham Maslow published in 1942. Finally, history, both Victorian and ancient, were the themes behind "The Adventure of the Monolithic Stones", "The Decorative Button", "The Baker's Bread" and "The Politician". White slavery and the invasion plans by France were both actual public scares. The circle of stones and their legends can be found at Stanton Drew.
Karen Downing, Sharon Pi and Benny Souder inadvertently made suggestions that became "The Miser", "The Eye Witnesses", and "Spontaneous Combustion."
While the stories have many inspirations, they are works of fiction. Although Sherlockians who "play the game" may disagree, the characters, incidents, and dialogues are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
The illustrations are by Sydney Padget from the original canon. Pictures of Stanton Drew, Queen Victoria, Ophelia, and the Seven Sisters in Sussex are from various web sites.
I am also greatly indebted to the many Sherlockians
who preceded me. A selected biography follows.
Reader Feedback |
Email the authors