Return to the Reichenbach

Published in 2012

A Sherlock Holmes Swiss Account Book

For a charming week we wandered up the Valley of the Rhone, and then, branching off at Leuk, we made our way over the Gemmi Pass, still deep in snow, and so, by way of Interlaken, to Meiringen.

The Sherlock Society of London is delighted to announce the publication of Return to the Reichenbach: A Sherlock Holmes Swiss Account Book. This handbook has been produced to mark our 7th pilgrimage to Switzerland in 2012 and features an eclectic mix of articles related to that fateful (and fatal) journey of 1891. Our contributors have attempted to provide answers to some of those elusive questions left open by Dr. Watson in ‘The Final Problem’ and ‘The Empty House.’ Exactly how long was that charming week? Was the destination of Meiringen part of a plan or merely a coincidence? What was Holmes’s escape route from the Reichenbach Falls and how did he get out of Switzerland? Our contributors have also reviewed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s holidays in the Alps, reflecting on his decision to kill off the great detective at the Falls and speculating on the inspiration behind Professor Moriarty. Other canonical connections to Switzerland have been considered, including the truth behind the activities of Baron Gruner and Rev. Dr. Shlessinger.

Return to the Reichenbach contains several articles commemorating some of the unique events planned for the 2012 pilgrimage. John Doubleday has provided an article on the production of his ice sculpture of Holmes at the Ice Palace at the Jungfraujoch (Europe’s highest railway station, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year). Peter Horrocks describes for us the career of Christian Ferdinand Schiess VC, whose actions at the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu War will be honoured during the pilgrimage. This publication has provided an opportunity to examine the history of the locations the Society will visit, and also to remember those who have made the pilgrimage in the past. We are pleased to reprint Tony Howlett’s notes on the canonical path to the falls from 1948 and also an article by the BSI’s Ronald Burt De Waal on a Sherlockian Trip to Europe he made in 1974.

As the world continues to wonder how Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock survived his own fatal encounter, Return to the Reichenbach revisits 1891 and shows that there are still many questions to be answered about those original stories that we love, and that much can be learned from spending a charming week in Switzerland.

PLEASE NOTE: The Handbook will not be distributed until after the Society’s trip to Switzerland (17 September 2012)

All prices are inclusive of postage and packaging

Back to Shop listing