Sleuths Sleuth Supersleuth

133 he wanted to arrive; the details and the manner of his travelling were still obscure and difficult, but his beacon was lighted and clear...." (p. 291) This volume carries the story of the Owen family to the eve of the First World War. If the next volume maintains the high standard of the first two if will be a remarkable and valuable trilogy to anyone interested in this period. Leicester, England Hilda D. Spear 6. Arthur Machen.: A closer View Wesley D. Sweetser. ARTHUR MACHEN. New York: Twayne, 1964. Twayne's English Authors Series 8. $3.50. One thing becomes evident after the first few pages of Professor Sweetser's book: he knows of what he writes. He traces Machens' life succinctly and he considers objectively Machen's minor and major work. Though bathed in multi-syllabic metaphors, Professor Sweetser's study is remarkably readable, and his critical interpretations often go far beyond expectations. His critique of the symbolism in Machen's near-masterpiece THE HILL OF DREAMS is particularly rewarding, especially since THE HILL OF DREAMS has been neglected too often in studies of the artist-hero. In connection with Professor Sweetser's comments on THE HILL OF DREAMS, one might note that there is much more critical analysis in the text of ARTHUR MACHEN concerning specific literary works by Machen than is indicated in the index to the book. To check the references in the index to one piece of Machen's writing is not to check all that Professor Sweetser may say about it. ARHTUR MACHEN will not only aid those who have read Machen, but it will help to introduce the novitiate to some of the most exasperatingly symbolic works by one of the finest prose stylists of our time, and it clarifies the sometimes mystical and religious allusions found so often in Machen's writing. New York City Peter Ruber 7. Sleuths Sleuth Supersleuth MichaeT and MoIlIe Hardwlck. THE MAN WHO WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1964. $3.50. It is obvious that all Baker Street Irregulars and other devotees of Sherlock Homes will be attracted at once to a book titled The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes. The revelation for which the Hardwicks prepare in the title of their book is presented at once: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the man who was Sherlock Holmes. The Hardwicks state that they will prove their thesis by analyzing the parallels between the real-life Dr. Doyle and the larger-than-life myth of the Great Detective. Carefully and in a logical progression the Hardwicks unfold their case, though along the way they note a number of dissimilarities, which in some respects weaken their argument. Actually, only certain aspects of Conan Doyle's personality and life are parallel to the character and fictional life of Holmes. The Hardwicks emphasize such events as Doyle's experiences as a student with Dr. Joseph Bell, a teacher who used the deductive method to teach anatomy, and Doyle's own efforts at deduction in actual 134 criminal cases such as those of George Edalji and Oscar Slater. There can be no doubt that the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes partook of some of the experiences, interests and personality traits of Conan Doyle; but it is, of course, common for an author to give facets of himself to his creation. Furthermore, such parallels as the Hardwicks point out have been discussed before in previous biographies of Doyle such as that by Hesketh Pearson and especially that by John Dickson Carr entitled The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published in 1949. Carr, a writer of detective stories, went over the Edalji and Slater material thoroughly. The Hardwicks' book, then, is a rehash of earlier biographers' work, and though an effort is made to cast this material in a new light, not much illumination is given. The only value of the Hardwicks' work can be as an introduction to those not familiar with either Doyle or Holmes, and then only if it leads curious readers, untutored in the exploits of the Great Detective, to investigate the sixty stories concerning Sherlock Holmes. Purdue University Edward S. Lauterbach 8, Theme and...