OK, I've read the Sherlock Holmes and Professor Challenger books. What should I read now? Anyone recommend Sir Nigel?

jimthedog

Dear jimthedog: I can't remember reading Sir Nigel, but anything Doyle wrote is worth reading. As an alternative, how about reading some of the books about Doyle, particularly about his interest in spiritualism, which has always seemed to me inconsistent with his overall scientific nature.

Dear JTD, Hope you read the Complete Sherlock Holmes. Much more interesting than the abridged version which is generally available.
As to what next : when I finished Holmes the next book placed in my hands was the Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant. Excellent!
wow

wow: My copy is a collection of all the Holmes stories and novels, coming from my Grandfather, plus some of the radio shows in normal story form, not the actual script, in another edition.
wwh: I haven't read books on his interest in spiritualism, but there was an article on it , concerned mainly on how he and Houdini agued about it. Their friendship soon ended.

jimthedog

concerned mainly on how he and Houdini agued about it. Their friendship soon ended

Houdini escaped, then, did he?

Houdini got really mad when Doyle's wife (acting as the spiritualist) had Houdini's mother talking in English, which she hadn't ever spoken. Houdini died 1st anyway.

jimthedog

Reminded of a Leacock story, "Personal Adventures in the Spirit World". You call the ghosts on the phone, and they're telling you that if everyone knew how nice it was over there they wouldn't mind paying to talk to the ghosts.

jimthedog

If you enjoyed the ingenuity and the detective aspect of the Holmes canon, I would strongly recommend two other classic mystery authors who also created real literature, Dorothy L. Sayers and Rex Stout, one British, one American.

In case you have ever seen TV adaptations of Lord Peter Wimsey and Nero Wolfe (one is currently running on the Discovery Channel, and it's not a very good adaptation of Rex Stout -- makes both Wolfe and Archie into buffoons), don't let them put you off. Likewise the Ian Carmichael portrayal of Lord Peter which the BBC did, poorly.