Wed 7 Jan 2009
TMF Review by William R. Loeser: ARTHUR MORRISON – Chronicles of Martin Hewitt.
Posted by Steve under Crime Fiction IV , Reviews[5] Comments
by William R. Loeser
ARTHUR MORRISON – Chronicles of Martin Hewitt.
D. Appleton & Co., US, hardcover, 1896; Ward Lock & Co., UK, hardcover, 1895 (shown).
Arthur Morrison’s Martiin Hewitt was for the decade 1895-1905 probably the foremost rival of Sherlock Holmes. Not much of one, though, for he completely lacked the distinguishing personality of the Master and his creator the skill to make his deductions seem other than lucky guesses.
Some of his adventures, however have plots as delightfully flamboyant as Holmes’. Notable of the six short stories — each the length of a Nero Wolfe novella — included in Chronicles are “The Case of Laker, Absconded,” in which the crooks carefully arrange their robbery of a bank messenger to make it seem that he has defaulted; and “The Case of the Missing Hand,” in which a gypsy almost frames, unintentionally, two brothers for killing their suicide step-father by stealing the corpse’s hand to make a Hand of Glory — a thief’s talisman.
The telling of these tales is, however, almost as pedestrian as Hewitt’s personality.
Additional bibliographic data: [Taken from the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin.]
ARTHUR MORRISON – Chronicles of Martin Hewitt
The Case of Laker, Absconded · nv The Windsor Magazine May, 1895
The Case of the Lost Foreigner · nv The Windsor Magazine Jun, 1895
The Case of the Missing Hand · ss The Windsor Magazine Apr, 1895
The Holford Will Case · ss The Windsor Magazine Mar, 1895
The Ivy Cottage Mystery · nv The Windsor Magazine Jan, 1895 (shown)
The Nicobar Bullion Case · nv The Windsor Magazine Feb, 1895
January 8th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Martin Hewitt may not have much of his personality, but Morrison’s style is by far the freshest and least dated of any nineteenth-century crime writer I’ve read. I know two of his stories, both from one of the Rivals of Sherlock Holmes collections. They have certain period details, of course, but they are so free of stylistic archaisms that they could almost have been written today.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
January 8th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Obviously Martin Hewitt is going to fade in comparison to Sherlock Holmes, who’s more than likely the most well-known fictional character ever.
But your observation as to how readable Morrison’s writing style is suggests to me the following questions:
Are the Sherlock Holmes stories widely read by the general public today? Or is Holmes now in the category of being famous because he’s famous? And/or is he well-known because of all the multi-media adaptations of his work?
— Steve
January 8th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I may not be the best person to ask, since I’ve just rented a movie version of “The Sign of the Four” (though I’ve also read the story). But it’s a good question: How widely read is Conan Doyle today? I don’t know.
I’m not saying Arthur Morrison is a better writer than Sir ACD, by the way, just that his prose style and even some of his political concerns can seem fresher to 21st-century readers.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
January 8th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Here’s a comment I posted after reading Morrison.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I can’t speak to how widely read Conan Doyle is today, but he is obviously widely sold. Judging by the editions available at any book store I think it likely Holmes is still widely read. All those books can’t be for old fans buying multiple editions? I know the Book of the Month Club had a major hit when they released an illustrated uniform edition as have several other venues.
I would venture Doyle is still widely read, and from personal experience I can say Holmes is as popular with women as men. People certainly buy Doyle. I just can’t say if they read them.
As for Morrison, his best work was probably The Hole in the Wall, a tale of adventure with a stong feel for realism and social criticism. His Martin Hewitt was a direct reaction to Holmes and meant to be as dull as Holmes was colorful, and in their time quite popular. Though they are well written, for the most part they lack the qualities that keep Holmes popular (and the wide distribution in other media). Still, you’d be far better off with Chesterton’s Father Brown or R. Austin Freeman’s Scientific Dr. Thorndyke (the true precursor to CSI, the green evidence box still used today was adapted by Scotland Yard from the one Thorndyke carried) if you want to read Doyle’s competition. They are much more rewarding.