Basil of Baker Street
Basil of Baker Street is the name given to a series of children's books written by Eve Titus, starring a fictional mouse of the same name.
Contents
Overview[edit]
The stories are all homages to the original Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and draw influences from those same stories. The main protagonist, Basil, takes his name from Basil Rathbone, who portrayed Holmes in film.
A total of five books were written between 1958 and 1982, all of which featured various characters and plots similar to the original Holmes stories.
Characters[edit]
- Basil of Baker Street: The eponymous hero of the stories. In the books, he cannot play the violin (although he can in the Disney film). His interests include archery and archaeology. He resides at 221½ Baker Street, a mouse-hole directly beneath Holmes's Baker Street residence.
- Dr. David Q. Dawson: Basil's biographer, and an avid cheese connisseur. Based on Dr. Watson.
- Professor Ratigan: Basil's archenemy, based on Professor Moriarty from The Adventure of the Final Problem.
- Captain Doran: Ratigan's right-hand mouse, based on Colonel Sebastian Moran from The Adventure of the Empty House.
- Mademoiselle Relda: A female mouse based on Irene Adler from A Scandal in Bohemia. Basil seems to have feelings for her, but rarely allows himself to express them.
- Mrs. Judson: Basil's landlady, based on Mrs. Hudson.
Books[edit]
- Basil of Baker Street (1958): Basil and Dawson go searching for the missing twin children of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot.
- Basil and the Lost Colony (1964): Basil leads an expedition in search of the Lost Colony of the Tellmice, whilst being pursued by Ratigan.
- Basil and the Pygmy Cats (1971): Basil finds a clue that hints at the existence of Pygmy Cats. He and Dawson search for the truth, all the while avoiding Professor Ratigan and Captain Doran.
- Basil in Mexico (1976): About to embark on a trip to Mexico to help out with a case there, Basil is suddenly called upon to solve the Case of the Counterfeit Cheese. Then, upon his arrival in Mexico, he discovers that that famed "mousterpiece", the Mousa Lisa, is missing, and that it is up to him to find the culprit.
- Basil in the Wild West (1982): Basil and Dawson continue their North American adventures by solving mysteries in the Wild West.
Film adaptation[edit]
- Main article: The Great Mouse Detective
A Walt Disney Pictures film based loosely on the books was released in 1986. The film was not based on any single book, and drew heavy influence from earlier Sherlock Holmes films.[1] It has often been highlighted as being one of the most adult Disney films ever made, due to a risque dance performed by new character Miss Kitty Mouse halfway into the film.[2]
Basil of Praed Street[edit]
A pastiche of Basil named Basil of Praed Street appeared in the non-canon Bucky O'Hare story, Mad Dogs and Englishmice, as part of an ongoing fan series of Bucky O'Hare.[3]
A foreword to the story explains that Basil of Praed Street is a pastiche of Basil of Baker Street in a similar vein to Solar Pons, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche created by August Derleth.[4] In fact, the name Praed Street references Solar Pons's offices at 7B Praed Street, which counterpart Holmes's address at 221B Baker Street.[5]