Table of Contents
"Into the Woods with Sherlock Holmes," an Introduction by
Thomas Drucker
Once Upon a Time in Baker Street, in a Kingdom Far, Far Away....
1. The Case of The Curious Culprit
2. The Case of the Anonymous Architect
3. The Case of the Secluded Stepchildren
4. The Case of the Mystified Major
5. The Case of the Beleaguered Brothers
6. The Case of the Wobbly Watcher
7. The Case of the Weary Wanderer
8. The Case of the Beguiling Burglar
9. The Case of the Silent Client
10. The Case of Whittlestick Woods
11. The Case of the Vain Vixen
12. The Case of the Starving Swine
13. The Case of the Pilfered Painting
Dramatic news from CNN? Stories ripped from today’s headlines? No, they are cases investigated by Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his intrepid companion and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. Drawn into the dark underbelly of folk tale reality, Holmes and Watson travel the streets of London and into the far English countryside to discover the truth about some of the most famous accounts found in childhood literature. Described in Dr. Watson’s inimitable style and with the names changed to protect the innocent, these tales recount how Sherlock Holmes investigated cases involving missing children, a trio of brothers threatened with destruction and the contents of an ancient box that told a tale of heroism and death.
Enter the world of the world’s first consulting detective. Stand again in Baker Street and look up at the windows of 221B. That shadow on the blind, is it Lestrade, coming to tell of a baffling case he has failed to solve? Or is it Mrs. Hudson, bring tea and sandwiches to a suffering client? Could it be the Great Detective himself, pacing up and down the length of the room, wrapping his mighty brain around yet another conundrum presented for his consideration? Join Dr. Watson in the adventures that live on these pages and you’ll never think the same about folk tales and nursery rhymes again.
This book has been reprinted without illustrations by MX Publishing, along with Volume 2 in the series
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The reader will find the distilled knowledge in pastiche form of a Sherlockian who dined with John Bennett Shaw as a teenager in the 1960s. The reader can read this Baker’s dozen of bedtime stories to children or grandchildren, with a pleasure equal to reading Eve Titus’ Basil of Baker Street. It is a rare thing to find an author and illustrator together in one fan of the world’s first and foremost fictional consulting detective. Gayle is the go-to Sherlock and Conan Doyle gal in her home community of Evansville, Wisconsin.
Gayle’s unique style of drawing would result in her simplistic folk drawings being readily identified in a stack of five hundred or more by other artists. They do not possess the unique style of an artist like, say James Thurber, but Thurber’s drawing can also be identified in a selection of 500 too! — J. Albert Danforth
The tales that are told in these pages are either amusing updates of the Canon or amusing backdates of the Canon. The reader is certain to feel a delighted sense of bewilderment as he or she recognizes certain themes and characters in settings that seem at once familiar and unfamiliar. As well, the author of these short mysteries is talented either as an artist or as an illustrator, depending on the reader’s perspective. Gayle’s drawings combine elements of folklore and cartooning that add piquancy to her prose to create a delightful and readable collection of "folk mysteries," one that is certain to be treasured by readers who appreciate both tradition and variety. — John Robert Colombo
Gayle Lange Puhl has been a Sherlockian since Christmas of 1965. She is a member of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, the Criterion Bar Association, and The Beacon Society. She is the first female member of the Hansom Cab Clock Club, a sub-scion of SherlockPeoria. She is a co-founder with Resa Haile of The Original Tree Worshippers of Rock County, based in Janesville, WI. She founded the Friends of the Great Grimpen Mire, whose membership was limited to Gayle, John Bennett Shaw and Peter E. Blau. She was the first woman to issue a Sherlockian newsletter back in the late 1960s. Raised on a farm outside Hebron in northern Illinois, Gayle corresponded with Vincent Starrett, Luther Norris and Robert Hahn. John Bennett Shaw once drove over sixty miles out of his way to take her to lunch and visit her at home. She has kept up a decades-long correspondence with Peter E. Blau. She drew illustrations for "Shades of Sherlock," had an article appear in The Devon County Chronicles and two of her writings were published in The Baker Street Journal. Gayle is a frequent contributor to The Serpentine Muse She is the creator and artist of the limited series of "Sherlock Holmes Nesting Dolls." Over the years Gayle has given talks on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes to various groups, both public and private. She resisted the temptation to name her daughter Violet but once owned a pet skunk called Irene. This is her first book. Gayle lives in Evansville, WI near her daughter and grandchildren. She is employed by the Evansville School District and the Ringhand Bus Company.