Customer Reviews
The quintessential Holmes tale - By: Kurt Messick, 06 Jan 2006 
The image of Sherlock Holmesin 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is perhaps the most enduring image we have of him. You see, an Inverness cloak & deerstalker cap are inappropriate wardrobe for the town, & belongin the country. Sherlock Holmes is predominantly a city dweller & city investigator; it is relatively uncommon that he treks out on adventures, but the case of the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville & the attempted murder of Sir Henry Baskerville led him to the Dartmoor plain. Thus, country garb wasin order. This is where we get much of our imagery.
Also helping with this is that every major actor to play Holmes has considered 'Hound of the Baskervilles' to be the ultimate Holmes story to act -- rather like the Hamlet of Conan Doyle's work. Holmes was a popular film icon, &in the early decades of the twentieth century several dozen films were made of Holmes, but the first after these many films to be setin Victorian times (and not be updated for the screen) was a version of Hound. Ellie Norwood, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Jeremy Brett -- many distinguished actors have considered this among their greatest roles.
Watson dates the case to 1889, but various reading authorities, knowing the good doctor's occasional attempts to distort details to protect the privacy of the innocent, have dated this to between 1886 & 1900.
In fact, the novel appearedin serialised formin the Strand magazine, the great first-publication site of most Holmesian tales, between August 1901 & April 1902, after Conan Doyle had attempted to kill off the great detectivein the short story The Final Problem, which showcased Holmes' battle with Moriarity, the Napoleon of Crime. In fact, Conan Doyle came to dislike the character of Holmes because it was a distraction to his other pursuits.
So, bowing to public pressure, Conan Doyle penned Hound of the Baskervilles to placate the public demand for more stories, but took care to place it before the death of Holmes,in the hopes that he could leave the detective safely dead (if not buried). Such was not to be, & we find a few years later thatin fact Conan Doyle 'resurrects' Holmesin a rather ingenious fashion.
But, on to the story at hand. Holmes & Watson, at home at 221b Baker Street, are approached by a Dr. James Mortimer regarding the death of Sir Charles Baskerville & a family curse which involved evil forcesin the form of a satanic hound. Mortimer is concerned for the safety of the new proprietor of the family lands, freshly arriving from Canada, who had a new boot stolen, then an old boot stolen,in his hotelin London. Later Holmes would put together the significance of this seeming strange minor act (no, I won't tell you).
Holmes sends Baskerville & Watson together to the country estate while he tends thingsin London on another case. In reality, Holmes is setting Watson up as a diversion, while he investigates the moor & the surroundings of the Baskerville estate under cover. Life at the estate is a bit strained, given the murder, an attempted murder, a curse, & all. The neighbours seem nice enough, though. Or are they? Watson picks up on curious little details of their relationship, which he reports backin written notes to Holmes (which have been redirected to his moor outpost).
Eventually Holmes reveals himself to Watson, & then to Baskerville, & the chase is onin earnest, to discover the reality of the mysterious creature each have seen or heard. In good mystery fashion, we come across long lost relatives & an inheritance to be had; we find plots & subplots muddied by superstitious belief & fear, on a mysterious plainin southwestern England.
All the elements combined that are now considered standard bits for a well-done country English mystery. But the mystery does not stop merely with the story. In true mystery fashion, appearingin the Daily Express edition of March 16, 1959, there were doubts cast upon the authorship of Hound of the Baskervilles. The one who carried the dispute was named none other than Baskerville, Harry Baskerville. He credited the story to one Fletcher Robinson, who died (perhaps of the Egyptian mummy's curse) at age 35 shortly after the publication of Hound. With his death, only Baskerville remembered the issue of co-authorship. Baskerville claims it was Robinson who 'borrowed' the Baskerville name.
One of Conan Doyle's heirs, Adrian Conan Doyle, heatedly denied involvement of Robinson past possible 'conversations' that might have taken place between Arthur Conan Doyle & Robinson. But, he did not deny Conan Doyle's possible 'inspiration' from Robinson.
One Baker Street Irregular (an exclusive club of Holmesian experts) was doing a monograph on this issue as well, claiming that the reason why Holmes appears so infrequently is due to the fact that he had to be writtenin to an otherwise essentially completed story. This Irregular travelled to meet with Baskerville, & hinted at discoveries he had found. But alas, the Irregular died three weeks laterin America, his monograph never published & his notes were never found. Perhaps a dog ate the homework? A mysterious hound, perhaps?
Gloom, Doom, and Subtle Misdirection - By: Donald Mitchell, 26 May 2004 Most Sherlock Holmes stories (especially the short stories like The Red Headed League) are like playing chessin a Victorian drawing room. You get a period piece with some subtle moves. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a total change-up from that format. Doyle builds the atmosphere of ancient legends, foul play, & a dark moorin an irresistible way. You will find yourself looking out over your shoulder if you read this book on a dark, lonely night. So if you like a novel with a true gothic feel, this will be your main reward.
Your unexpected reward will be one of the most famous cluesin all of detective fiction. In searching out who is haunting the Baskerville's, Doyle has Holmes solve the puzzle by looking for something that no one else was looking for. This is the only mystery that I know of that is solved by vacuous fulfillment (an odd concept of mathematics that Doyle must have known about).
The third feature of this story is the many fallacious beliefs about how science works (like phrenology -- the shape of the skull determining your mind & character). You may find this interesting or annoying. In either case, try to remember that we probably have many similar false beliefs today that will look silly a hundred years from now. Can you think of one?
Wrap upin a blanket by the fire, have a glass of wine, & shiver with anticipation!
A thrilling and gripping read - a real page-turner! - By: , 25 Aug 2001 
'The Hound of the Baskervilles' sees Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, & his faithful sidekick Dr Watson on one of their most famous & exciting adventures. Right from the start the author succeedsin grabbing the readers' attention, & dramatic plot twists & the eery setting of the desolate moors keep it held until the final page. Holmes & Watson's detective skills are called upon to investigate the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose body is discovered with a look of terror upon his face near the footprints of a huge hound. Could the tale of a terrifying beast that haunts the Baskerville family be more than just superstition? The skills & courage of the Sleuths are tested to the limitin their bid to discover the truth. Although first published almost a hundred years ago, this novel has lost none of its appeal & is as good as any modern-day thriller. Full of excitement & suspense, this book is a real page-turner, & a must for all fans of the detective novel.
Clever and a page turner - By: urban_witch_uk@yahoo.com, 26 Nov 2000 It keeps you guessing, spooky & witty. If you like mysterys you'll love this
A first - class mystery thriller - By: , 28 Aug 1999 The Hound of the Baskervilles is a marvellous example of a British detective mystery. The story keeps you entertained & guessing at every twist & turn & the ending is far from predictable! An enjoyable & well written mystery & a classic Sherlock Holmes case.
