Book Report (World History): The Hound of the Baskervilles

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles
   by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
   255 pgs, Copyright © 1967, Magnum Books.
2. I got this book from a friend.
3. This book takes place in the late 1800s.
4. No actual historical persons appeared in this book, but the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson did.
5. Some words common in this time period are: afoot (as in "The game's afoot.") and daresay (as in "I daresay that there was a lurking evil in his eyes.").
6. I used no other references to verify facts.
7. I found to be most valuable in the story that which Holmes understood so well, that even the most minor detail can have major significance.
8. I would be most likely to tell others the part in the story where Watson saw a pony get stuck and sink into the Grimpen Mire when he was talking to Stapleton. I would also tell the part where the hound chased Sir Henry and how Holmes, Watson, and (?) emptied their revolvers shooting at it.
9. To my understanding of history the book contributes by showing that artifacts from previous times can be important later.
10. The book starts when a Dr. Mortimer presents to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson the legend of the Baskervilles' spectral hound and the mysterious death of a Sir Charles Baskerville that seems to confirm the legend. Mortimer says that Sir Henry Baskerville will be coming from America to take over the family estate, and asks Holmes if he believes it is safe for him to go to Baskerville Hall. Holmes says Sir Henry should go, but sends Watson with him because he has a case to solve in London.

    At Baskerville Hall, in Devonshire, Watson writes to Holmes of anything that might be of relevance, sends descriptions of the Barrymores (Sir Henry's servants), Stapleton, who lived by the Grimpen Mire, and other neighbors. Watson relays to Holmes the events of each day, then one day he discovered that Holmes had secretly come to Devonshire and was living in a hut of an old Nedithic settlement.

    Holmes goes to Baskerville Hall with Watson and while looking at family portraits realizes that Stapleton was a Baskerville. Holmes sets a trap for Stapleton, and Holmes and Watson end up killing Stapleton's immense hound, painted in phosphorescent paint to make it glow, as it chased Sir Henry. However, Stapleton himself was never found; Homes guessed that he sunk into the muck of the Grimpen Mire as he tried to escape. Then Holmes and Watson returned to Baker Street to await a new case.

11. I thought this was a good book; it's amazing how much Holmes can deduce from the least iota of evidence, then use that to help solve his case. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good mystery to read.