''Basil of Baker Street'' is a series of children's novels written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone. The stories focus on the titular Basil of Baker Street and his personal biographer Doctor David Q. Dawson. Together they solve the many crimes and cases of the mouse world. Both live in Holmestead, a mouse community built in the cellar of

221B Baker Street 221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within ...

, where

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

is a tenant upstairs. The five original titles were published from 1958 to 1982 by McGraw-Hill. The series was revived three decades later when a new work was published by Aladdin Paperbacks in October 2018, written by Cathy Hapka and illustrated by David Mottram. Two more adventures followed in 2019 and 2020. The 1986 Disney animated feature '' The Great Mouse Detective'' was based on these novels.

Characters

* Basil of Baker Street – "The

of the Mouse World"; very similar to Holmes (who sometimes used the alias Basil, as in " The Adventure of Black Peter"). As his model plays the violin, however, Basil plays the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, as revealed in ''Basil and the Lost Colony''. His hobbies include

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

, archaeology, and

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

. Eve Titus gave him the name "Basil" in honor of actor

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

, who donned the role of Sherlock Holmes numerous times. * Dr. David Q. Dawson – Basil's personal biographer; based on Dr. John H. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. He is an aficionado of cheese. * Professor Padraic Ratigan – Basil's archenemy and a master criminal; based on Professor James Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes story " The Final Problem". Although his name is "Ratigan", in the book series he is a mouse. * Captain Doran – Ratigan's lieutenant; based on Colonel Sebastian Moran from the Sherlock Holmes story " The Adventure of the Empty House". * Mademoiselle Relda – a beautiful opera singer; based on Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes story " A Scandal in Bohemia". Basil is hinted to possess unrequited love for Relda but the background of their relationship is not explored in the books. * Mrs. Judson – Basil's housekeeper; based on

Mrs. Hudson Mrs. Hudson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the landlady of 221B Baker Street, the London residence in which Sherlock Holmes lives. Mrs. Hudson appears or is mentioned in man ...

from the Sherlock Holmes stories. She makes an excellent cheese soufflé.

Series

The first five books were written by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone, and published by McGraw-Hill. The series note "A Basil of Baker Street Mystery" is sometimes cataloged as a subtitle. #''Basil of Baker Street'' (1958), 96 pp., Basil and Dawson go searching for the missing twin children of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot. The search takes them from

Baker Street Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...

to a harbor, and even to the countryside of England. The plot device of a typewriter as the ' smoking gun' is adapted from the Sherlock Holmes story " A Case of Identity". #''Basil and the Lost Colony'' (1964) Basil leads an expedition in search of the Lost Colony of the Tellmice. Along the way he is being hunted by Ratigan and his gang. #''Basil and the Cave of Cats'' (1971) Basil finds a clue that hints at the existence of Pygmy Cats. He and Dawson search for the truth, all the while escaping Professor Ratigan and Captain Doran. Before the adventure begins, however, they must restore the Maharajah of Bengistan to his throne. #''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 the famed "mousterpiece", the Mousa Lisa, is missing, and that it is up to him to find the perpetrator. Almost immediately afterwards, Dr. Dawson is kidnapped. #''Basil in the Wild West'' (1982) Basil and Dawson continue their North American

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by t ...

by solving two mysteries in the Wild West. First, they have to stop a crew of smugglers from taking control of part of the West, and then solve the mystery of the "Thing" that is scaring guests of the Hathaway Hotel. #''Basil and the Big Cheese Cook-Off'' (2018) Basil and Dawson journey to Paris to solve a mystery threatening the world-renown international cheese cook-off cooking competition. #''Basil and the Royal Dare'' (May 2019) Basil and Dawson come to the aid of the British and Bohemian Royal Families (of mice), when several royal teens go missing. #''Basil and the Library Ghost'' (May 2020) "When Basil of Baker Street and Dr. Dawson reunite with old friends, the C for Cheese Gang, at Oxford, they investigate rumors that Ratcliffe College's library is haunted.""Basil and the library ghost"
(reported as forthcoming May 2020). LC Catalog. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

References

External links

Basil series
at WorldCat (search results for 'Basil paul galdone') * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Basil Of Baker Street Book series introduced in 1958 Series of children's books Sherlock Holmes pastiches Children's mystery novels Children's novels about animals American children's novels Fictional mice and rats Fictional male detectives Fictional English people American novels adapted into films 1958 children's books Literary characters introduced in 1958 Male characters in literature McGraw-Hill books