Several Trustworthy Books of Reference [VALL]

At the BSI Weekend, Peter Eckrich and I debuted our new anthology, Canonical Cornerstones: Foundational Books of a Sherlockian Library, at the Wessex Press dealer's table.  And man, we were not prepared for the reception it received.  It was a whirlwind of signing books until we looked up and the stock of Canonical Cornerstones had completely sold out in less than 90 minutes!

So what made this book such a hot item at the BSI Weekend?  This anthology is a collection of 17 essays by different authors making arguments for 17 books that are important to any Sherlockian library.  And we all love reading about Sherlockian books!

Will you have some of these in your library already?  Hopefully.  

Will you have a different opinion on what 17 titles should make up this list?  Probably.  

Will you enjoy reading everyone's impassioned arguments for their particular title?  Absolutely!

But I'm going to let the table of contents speak for itself, because the contributors are the real selling point for this anthology.

Foreword - Michael Dirda

Introduction -  Peter Eckrich & Rob Nunn

“Shall they not always live in Baker Street?”: Vincent Starrett’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes - Ray Betzner

In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes by Michael Harrison - Catherine Cooke

The Baker Street Journal - Peggy MacFarlane

Let Me Recommend This Book: Leslie S. Klinger’s The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes - Peter E. Blau

D. Martin Dakin’s A Sherlock Holmes Commentary - Mike McSwiggin

A Pastiche That Plays the Game: Nicholas Meyer’s Seven-Per-Cent Solution - Anastasia Klimchynskaya

Daniel Stashower’s Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle - Mark Jones

Beyond the Canon: Apocrypha et Cetera - Ross E. Davies

“Only For The Madmen”: Jack Tracy’s Encyclopedia Sherlockiana - Sonia Fetherston

“Respectful, waggish, farcical” — The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes by Ellery Queen - Timothy J. Johnson

Holmes and Watson: A Miscellany by S. C. Roberts - Roger Johnson

From Holmes to Sherlock by Mattias Bostrom - From Concept to Classic - Mark Alberstat

Sherlock Holmes for Dummies: Not Just for Dummies - Regina Stinson

The World Bibliography of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson by Ronald Burt De Waal - Ira Brad Matetsky

The Classic Doubleday Omnibus: A Bible All Awry - Russell Merritt

An Era in Profile: Edgar W. Smith's Profile by Gaslight - Dan Andriacco

William Baring-Gould’s The Annotated Sherlock Holmes - Julie McKuras

You can see why I'm so excited about this book!  Since that morning in New York when it sold out so quickly, Peter and I have been receiving messages left and right from readers who are enjoying the different essays in this collection.  So, if the idea of this book interests you, head over to Wessex Press to grab a copy.  You'll be gad that you did!