''Basil of Baker Street'' is a series of children's novels written by

Eve Titus Eve Titus (July 16, 1922 – February 4, 2002) was an American children's writer. She is particularly known for her books featuring the anthropomorphic mice characters Anatole, a heroic and resourceful French mouse, and Basil of Baker Street, a ...

and illustrated by

Paul Galdone Paul Galdone (June 2, 1907 – November 7, 1986) was an illustrator and writer known best for children's picture books. Early life He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's ...

. 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 McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...

. The series was revived three decades later when a new work was published by

Aladdin Paperbacks Aladdin Paperbacks is one of several Children's literature, children's-book imprint (trade name), imprints owned by Simon & Schuster. It was established by Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Books where she was the founding director of the children's depar ...

in October 2018, written by Cathy Hapka and illustrated by David Mottram. Two more adventures followed in 2019 and 2020. The 1986

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated feature ''

The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...

'' 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 "The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' (US) in February 1904 and in ''The Strand Magazine' ...

"). As his model plays the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

, 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 Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, 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 In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy. Etymology The word ''archenemy'' sometim ...

and a master criminal; based on

Professor James Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...

from the Sherlock Holmes story "

The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title ...

". Although his name is "Ratigan", in the book series he is a mouse. * Captain Doran – Ratigan's lieutenant; based on

Colonel Sebastian Moran Colonel Sebastian Moran is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. An enemy of Sherlock Holmes, he first appears in the 1903 short story " The Adventure of the Empty House". Holmes once described him as "the second m ...

from the Sherlock Holmes story "

The Adventure of the Empty House "The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in '' Collier's'' in ...

". * Mademoiselle Relda – a beautiful

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer; based on

Irene Adler Irene Adler is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A former opera singer and actress, she was featured in the short story " A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. Adler is one of the ...

from the Sherlock Holmes story " A Scandal in Bohemia". Basil is hinted to possess

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...

for Relda but the background of their relationship is not explored in the books. * Mrs. Judson – Basil's housekeeper; based on Mrs. Hudson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. She makes an excellent cheese

soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...

Series

The first five books were written by

, illustrated by

, and published by

. 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 A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

as the '

smoking gun The term "smoking gun" is a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act, just short of being caught ''in flagrante delicto''. "Smoking gun" refers to the strongest kind of circumstantial evidence ...

' is adapted from the Sherlock Holmes story "

A Case of Identity "A Case of Identity" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is the third story in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It first appeared in ''The Strand Magazine'' in September 1891. Plot summa ...

". #''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 Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

of Bengistan to his throne. #''Basil in Mexico'' (1976) About to embark on a trip to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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 The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. First, they have to stop a crew of

smugglers Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

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 Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

(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