Naked is the Best Disguise: The Death and Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Homes, fictional masterpiece of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has been cherished by generations of readers throughout the world and continues to inspire new legions of devotees. That this legendary character should yield new and unexpected riches is the staggering accomplishment of Samuel Rosenberg, a literary detective whose surprising discoveries about the work of Mary Shelley, Melville and others have gained wide literary attention. Mr. Rosenberg now revels Sir Arthur as a brilliant allegorist who in his Holmes mysteries left "purloined letter" allusions not only to characters throughout literature but to real-life figures as well. Could it really be that behind Professor Moriarty lurked Friedrich Nietzsche? That Irene Adler actually disguised none other than George Sand - the legendary Madame Dudevant, authoress and transvestite? The book reads like a detective story itself as the author encounters the people who knew Doyle and who turned up in his stories; unravels clue after clue about Sir Arthur himself; and discovers the real meaning behind the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Further, Rosenberg shows conclusively that Doyle was more than the creator of one of the world's most enduring fictional characters; he was a serious and conscious artist as well. Such important literary men as T.S. Eliot and James Joyce came under his spell. His literary allusions are of a level usually associated with the finest writers. Mr. Rosenberg's fresh and original appraisal of Doyle not only produces remarkable insights into Doyle but also enhances his own reputation. Book Dust Jacket