Author Description

The Return of Solar Pons Scholarship! In 1928, college student August Derleth wrote to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, asking if any more Sherlock Holmes adventures were going to be published. Upon receiving a negative reply, Derleth decided to provide some of his own. However, rather than relating more tales of Holmes and Dr. Watson, he ended up introducing the world to Solar Pons and Dr. Lyndon Parker, living in London during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Pons solved crimes using deduction and ratiocination, often referring to Holmes as “The Master” or “My illustrious predecessor”. Since his first appearance, Pons has been a favorite with Sherlockians. Between the 1920’s and the early 1970’s, Derleth produced over seventy Pons short stories and novels, publishing them through his own imprint, Mycroft & Moran. The Pons stories were beloved within the Sherlockian community, so much so that scholarship developed about the character.We continue that tradition of Solar Pons scholarship with The Pontine Dossier, Millennium edition. Read essays on August Derleth and Solar Pons by today’s Pontine scholars as they analyze the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street. “The Game” is afoot!