Basil of Baker Street
Encyclopedia
Basil of Baker Street is a children's book series created by Eve Titus
and illustrated by Paul Galdone
. The stories focus on 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 Sherlock Holmes' residence at 221B Baker Street.
Disney's 26th animated film was based on the Basil of Baker Street novels and titled The Great Mouse Detective
.
Eve Titus
Eve Titus was a children's author most famous for her books featuring anthropomorphic mice.Her most famous characters include Anatole, a heroic and resourceful French mouse and Basil of Baker Street, a Victorian age mouse private detective who emulates Sherlock Holmes...
and illustrated by Paul Galdone
Paul Galdone
Paul Galdone was a children's literature author and illustrator. He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's League and New York School for Industrial Design...
. The stories focus on Basil of Baker Street
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 the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
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 Sherlock Holmes' residence at 221B Baker Street.
Disney's 26th animated film was based on the Basil of Baker Street novels and titled The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
.
Characters
- Basil of Baker Street: "The Sherlock Holmes of the MouseMouseA mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
World". Very similar to Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
(who sometimes used the alias Basil, as in "The Adventure of Black PeterThe 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, but was published originally in 1904 in the Strand Magazine and Collier's.-Plot summary:...
"), but unlike his namesake, he cannot play the violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
well at all (although he does in the Disney movie). Instead he plays the flute, as revealed in Basil and the Lost Colony. His personal hobbies include archeryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, archaeologyArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, and mountaineeringMountaineeringMountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. Eve Titus gave him the name "Basil" in honor of actor Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
, who donned the role of Sherlock Holmes numerous times. - Dr. David Q. DawsonDawson-People:*Dawson Roger Dawson, author of Secrets of Power NegotiatingFictional characters*Dawson, in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends*Dawson Leery, on the TV show Dawson's Creek...
- his personal biographer; based on Dr. John H. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. He is a lover of all sorts of cheeses. - Professor Padraic Ratigan - Basil's archenemyArchenemyAn archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
and a master criminal; based on Professor James MoriartyProfessor MoriartyProfessor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Final Problem". In the book series he was a mouse, but in the Disney film he was changed to a ratRatRats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
- as a joke from Disney, at several points when Ratigan is referred to as a rat, he goes berserk and exclaims: "I AM NOT A RAT!" - Captain Doran - Ratigan's lieutenant; based on Colonel Sebastian Moran from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Empty HouseThe Adventure of the Empty House"The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Public pressure forced Conan Doyle to bring the sleuth back to life, and explain his...
". - Mlle. Relda - a beautiful operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer; based on Irene AdlerIrene AdlerIrene Adler is a fictional character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891...
from the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in BohemiaA Scandal in Bohemia"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget....
". Basil seems to have romantic feelings for Relda but not much is shown in the books as to their relationship, much like Adler and Holmes's relationship. - Mrs. Judson - Basil's housekeeper, based on Mrs. Hudson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. She makes an excellent cheese souffle.
Book summaries
- Basil of Baker Street (1958): Basil and Dawson go searching for the missing twin children of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot. The search takes them from Baker Street to a harbor, and even to the countryside of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The plot device of a typewriter as the 'smoking gun'Smoking gunThe term "smoking gun" was originally, and is still primarily, a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act. In addition to this, its meaning has evolved in uses completely unrelated to criminal activity: for example, scientific evidence that is...
is adapted from the Sherlock Holmes story A Case Of IdentityA 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.-Plot summary:...
. - Basil and the Lost Colony (1964): Basil leads an expedition in search of the Lost Colony of the Tellmice. Along the way he is pursued by Ratigan and his thugs.
- 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. Before they can even go searching, however, they must restore the Maharajah of Bengistan to his throne.
- Basil in Mexico (1976): About to embark on a trip to MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
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 LisaMona LisaMona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
, is missing, and that it is up to him to find the culprit. Almost immediately afterwards, Dr. Dawson is kidnapped. - Basil in the Wild West (1982): Basil and Dawson continue their North American adventures by solving two mysteries in the Wild West. First, they have to stop a gang 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.