The Stark Munro Letters

Reviews / Votes

An impressively responsible scholarly edition of a work which, with its intertwining of medicine, memoir, and malfeasance, is likely to become increasingly important to Victorian Scholars. Machin carefully assembles biographical, cultural, and historical contexts, offering thoughtful discussions of its genre, cultural moment, and position in Conan Doyle's oeuvre. -- James Krasner, University of New Hampshire James Machin has given us the definitive edition of this most personal of Conan Doyle's fictions. His expertly edited and richly annotated volume will be a boon to scholars and a source of pleasure for all readers. Inventive, entertaining, and subtly wise, The Stark Munro Letters is ripe for rediscovery. -- Stephen Arata, University of Virginia It is quite clear that The Stark Munro Letters is an indispensable part of Conan Doyle's output and, as Machin emphasises, he would regularly return to its highly enjoyable read in his later years. Its neglect is both puzzling and sad. This is the first notable reprint since 1982, and its entry into this prestigious series is to be welcomed. James Machin's Introduction is wide-ranging, informative, readable and largely unencumbered by academic jargon and theory. -- Paul M. Chapman * Sherlock Holmes Journal *