The Solar Pons Canon

This long-awaited second collection of pastiches of the immortal Sherlock Holmes offers eleven new adventures of Solar Pons, who has been called by Vincent Starrett "a clever impersonator, with a twinkle in his eye, which tells us that he knows he is not Sherlock Holmes, and knows that we know it, but that he hopes we will like him anyway for what he symbolizes." Here are such fascinating stories as "The Adventure of the Paralytic Mendicant", an account of as unique a vengeance as was ever perpetrated between boards; "The Adventure of the Circular Room", a tale of a diabolic plot which will rouse many a memory of the old Master; the complex puzzle which will be of particular interest to bibliophiles told in the Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Contest prizewinning "The Adventure of the Six Silver Spiders"; the curious affair which is "The Adventure of the Tottenham Werewolf'; and others which will bring back old, long-vanished Baker Street days. Once again in the London of years ago "the game is afoot." Certainly no living writer has brought the Holmesian pastiche to a higher development than this. There is very little difference, indeed, in the atmosphere of the stories, once they have begun to unfold; No. 7B Praed Street readily becomes 221B Baker Street; and Solar Pons, attended by his Dr. Lyndon Parker, often becomes curiously interchangeable with the Master of Baker Street and his Watson. "There is no intention to deceive," as Vincent Starrett wrote in his introduction to the first collection. "These nostalgic reminders of vanished days and nights in Baker Street are intended only to please."

The premise is that Solar Pons is the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes.

Thirteen short stories depicting the further adventures of Solar Pons, whose prototype is Sherlock Holmes. Includes three stories published in a limited edition in 1952 as "Three problems for Solar Pons".

In this second volume we again join Solar Pons, the latter-day Sherlock Holmes, and his colleague, Dr Lyndon Parker, as they solve another four puzzling cases. What we always knew about Sherlock Holmes when he supposedly fell to his death at the Reichenbah Falls, we now know about Solar Pons -- he is not dead; he has just been hiding.

In 1928, at the age of nineteen, college student August Derleth wrote to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, asking him whether he planned to produce more Sherlock Holmes stories, and announcing that, if Sir Arthur did not, he, Derleth, would begin a series of pastiches of his own. Sir Arthur promised nothing, and Derleth went ahead, creating Solar Pons. Between Pons' first published appearance in 1929 until Derleth's death in 1971, the bite of the Sherlockian bug prompted him to write more than seventy Solar Pons adventures in the best Holmes tradition. Throughout, he devoted endless hours to research and authentication of details into recreating the London milieu of Pons.Now, restored from the original 1973 Mycroft and Moran edition, Solar Pons is back! Join Pons and Dr. Parker in The Chronicles of Solar Pons as they investigate the terrifying events of "The Missing Tenants", the suspenseful matter of "The Orient Express", and the nearly perfect adventure of "The Unique Dickensians".For many years, it was believed the Pontine Canon would end with the publication of The Chronicles of Solar Pons in 1973. But over the years, additional material was discovered in various places, including obscure publications and Derleth's own files. Now, thanks to Derleth's heirs and the August Derleth Estate, which still retains full ownership of Solar Pons and these apocryphal adventures, this new easily available and affordable collection has been made possible.Once again, the game is afoot!

Solar Pons was created by August Derleth in the 1920s as a continuation of the Sherlock Holmes canon. Derleth, who famously created Arkham House Publishing to preserve the writings of his friend, author HP Lovecraft, had corresponded with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, asking whether Doyle would be providing any new Holmes adventures. When Doyle said no, Derleth determined to write some himself. However, instead of writing more Holmes tales, Derleth came up with Solar Pons, a detective very similar to Holmes, and Dr. Lyndon Parker, his Dr. Watson. Eventually, between the 1920's and his death in 1971, Derleth wrote over seventy Pons tales, set in that period between the end of World War I and 1939. "Now, meet Solar Pons, the Pride of Praed Street . . . The Master is not too visible - that is, to the naked eye. But you will feel his dynamic presence once again . . . Yes, dear reader, but turn a page, and again - the game is afoot!" - Ellery Queen

Solar Pons was created by August Derleth in the 1920s as a continuation of the Sherlock Holmes canon. Derleth, who famously created Arkham House Publishing to preserve the writings of his friend, author HP Lovecraft, had corresponded with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, asking whether Doyle would be providing any new Holmes adventures. When Doyle said no, Derleth determined to write some himself. However, instead of writing more Holmes tales, Derleth came up with Solar Pons, a detective very similar to Holmes, and Dr. Lyndon Parker, his Dr. Watson. Eventually, between the 1920's and his death in 1971, Derleth wrote over seventy Pons tales, set in that period between the end of World War I and 1939. "Now, meet Solar Pons, the Pride of Praed Street . . . The Master is not too visible - that is, to the naked eye. But you will feel his dynamic presence once again . . . Yes, dear reader, but turn a page, and again - the game is afoot!" - Ellery Queen