Sherlock Holmes at Sidney Sussex College 1871 - 1873 An Imaginative Reconstruction

Review: This pamphlet is produced by Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge and describes the experiences of Sherlock Holmes as he attended that institution as an undergraduate. The description uses five related mysteries to present the flavor of the undergraduate experience as it would have been for Sherlock in that time and place. after reading the work, I felt compelled to write to the school and to congratulate them on the very real and valuable service they had provided. I believe that I share an experience with many educated Americans when I say that I have often been puzzled by descriptions of university life at British institutions. A particular book that comes to mind is Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. I enjoyed that book immensely but couldn't make head nor tails of the environment surrounding the story. Had I read this pamphlet before Gaudy Night, it would have made much more sense.

In fact, the fairly rigid curriculum I went through as an undergraduate (over ten years at seven Universities) is no longer the rule at American Universities but it also gave me no basis for understanding the medieval roots of British University life. This book gives a plain and vivid account of the experiences of an entering undergraduate in a Victorian era University and brings the whole place alive in the process. It is a true learning experience and is quite well done. A number of illustrations are spotted throughout the text and footnotes give explanations and sources without breaking up the narrative.

This lively and interesting account is well worth the very low price, especially for all of those Holmes fans not acquainted with the British (and, I suspect, European in general) University System as it was in the nineteenth century. The mysteries involved are also fun and involve actual events at the University.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones, 2003