Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Illustrations Vol 1-3. Mike Foy. MX Publishing (2022)

Hugely enjoyable and deeply engaging, a superb addition to the Sherlock Holmes industry. Mike Foy has collected the rich history of illustrations from books, magazines, and product promotions. Volumes 1 and II have Black and While illustrations, Volume III has colour illustrations. For any art book the physical presentation and layout of the book are of vital importance. MX Publishing and Mike Foy has delivered exceptional quality and very thoughtful layouts that really make reading these books a pleasure. Mike Foy provides biographical details for each of the illustrators which is very welcome. The illustrations are introduced and given a context that explains where they were first published. The illustrations are not packed onto the pages, they are given the space to be read and the reproductions are a pleasure to read. None of the illustrations are so close to the binding that they are lost to the reader, they are all centered on the page, so no detail is lost. In Volume II Mike Foy includes Sidney Paget illustrations and those of a later artist who clearly based his work on them. This is a smart piece of editing; the differences and similarities are left to the reader to identify and enjoy.  In Volume III there is a section on William Gillette which includes a range of photographs. This reflects Mike Foy’s welcome broad attitude to the history of Sherlock Holmes. The promotional cards created by a chocolate manufacturer, they were a run of Arthur Conan Doyle characters from the full range of his fiction, are a great addition. These books are clearly a labour of love, they nicely sidestep any of the fan snobbishness that can easily creep into such an enterprise. Mike Foy has a cheerful and engaging tone that invites the reader to share rather than to simply admire. Wonderful work.