Review:Strange Studies From Life and Other Narratives/Christopher Roden
This review of the book "Strange Studies From Life and other narratives: The Complete True Crime Writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ", edited by Jack Tracy was written by Barbara Roden and published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 3, 1992).
Review
- Strange Studies From Life and other narratives: The Complete True Crime Writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Selected and Edited by Jack Tracy: Introduced by Peter Ruber
- Gaslight Publications, Bloomington, Indiana, 1988 (Reprinted 1992); 104pp; U.S.$18.95., ISBN 0-934468-49-4
Reviewed by Christopher Roden
Strange Studies from Life was the heading under which three of the narratives in this book first appeared in The Strand Magazine in April, May and June 1901. They were originally intended to form part of a longer series, but ACD was less certain about their suitability than with his more usual type of contribution to the magazine, and the series was never completed. It is interesting that the Strand prefaced each of the stories slightly differently:
- The cases dealt with in this series are studies from the actual history of crime, though occasionally names have been changed where their retention might cause pain to surviving relatives.
- (The Holocaust of Manor Place, April 1901)
- The cases dealt with in this series of studies of criminal psychology are taken from the actual history of crime, though occasionally names have been changed where their retention might cause pain to surviving relatives.
- (The Love Affair of George Vincent Parker, May 1901)
- The cases dealt with in this series of studies of criminal psychology studies of which the moral is more full of warning than that of many sermons are taken from the actual history of crime, though occasionally names have been changed where their retention might cause pain to surviving relatives.
- (The Debatable Case of Mrs Emsley, June 1901)
That Conan Doyle and his editor, H. Greenhough Smith, were considering a variety of cases for inclusion in the series is indicated by an undated letter which ACD wrote from the Ashdown Forest Hotel, Forest Row, Sussex:
I was rather inclined to do one on the Bristol Reform Riots which were very dramatic & interesting. I have a fourth done about the Mutiny on the 'Flowery Land.' Gruesome but very interesting...
It would seem that the article dealing with the Bristol Reform Riots was never written, 'The Voyage of the "Flowery Land"', however, appeared in the Louisville Courier on 19 March 1899, although it was never published by the Strand.
This volume includes the three narratives from the Strand, 'The Voyage of the "Flowery Land"', and three additional pieces: 'The Bravoes of Market Drayton' (first published in Chambers's Journal. August 1889). 'The Duello in France' (Cornhill Magazine, Vol.15, pp. 618-26), and 'A New Light on Old Crimes' (adapted from the chapter of the same title in The Edge of the Unknown (John Murray, 1930)).
Strange Studies From Life is an interesting and varied collection, bringing together in one volume a number of ACD's more obscure writings. But these are narratives which lack ACD's usual incisiveness in telling an original story. It was perhaps for this reason that the 1901 Strand series was never completed. There may, of course, have been another reason. From August 1901, a new Conan Doyle story began its run in the Strand: The Hound of the Baskervilles. After that, it is doubtful whether Holmes-hungry readers would have been much interested in further studies from life — however strange!
C.R.
- Article courtesy Christopher Roden, founder of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (1989-2003).
