Basil of Baker Street

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Basil of Baker Street (born 1858) is a mouse detective created by Eve Titus based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Basil of Baker Street is also a children's book series written 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.

The books were well received by the Sherlock Holmes community including Adrian Conan Doyle (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's son) and Vincent Starrett.

There are five books total in the series, beginning with Basil of Baker Street written in 1958.

Disney's 26th animated film was based on the Basil of Baker Street novels and titled The Great Mouse Detective. Supposedly the movie was originally going to be named "Basil of Baker Street" but changed when the plot of the movie was altered.

1 Book Titles and Publishing Dates
2 Book Summaries
3 Characters
4 External links

[edit] Book Titles and Publishing Dates

Basil of Baker Street (1958)
Basil and the Lost Colony (1964)
Basil and the Pygmy Cats (1971)
Basil in Mexico (1976)
Basil in the Wild West (1982)

[edit] Book Summaries

Basil of Baker Street - Basil and Dawson go searching for the missing twins of Mr. and Mrs. Proudfoot which takes them from Baker Street, to a harbor, and even to the countryside of England!
Basil and the Lost Colony - Upon receiving a clue, Basil leads an expedition of thirty-two mice 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 - Basil receives a clue that hints to the existence of Pygmy Cats. He and Dawson search for the truth while all the while avoiding Professor Ratigan and Captain Doran. Before they even go searching, however, they must first restore the monarchy of Bengistan and place the Maharajah back in power before it is too late for his people.
Basil in Mexico - Basil is going to take a trip to Mexico to help out with a case there, but before he even leaves, he has to solve the Case of the Counterfeit Cheese! Once he gets to Mexico, he discovers that the famed mousterpiece the Mousa Lisa is missing and substituted with a masterful fake and it is up to him to find the culprit. Unfortunately almost immediately afterwards, Dr. Dawson is kidnapped!
Basil in the Wild West - Basil and Dawson continue their adventures in North America in the Wild West solving two mysteries along the way. First, they have to stop smugglers from taking over part of the West and then the duo have to solve the mystery of "The Thing" that is scaring guests of the Hathaway Hotel.

[edit] Characters

Basil of Baker Street - "The Sherlock Holmes of the Mouse World". Very similar to Sherlock Holmes (who sometimes used the alias Basil, as in "The Case of the Black Peter"), but unlike his mentor, he cannot play the violin well at all. Instead he plays the flute as revealed in Basil and the Lost Colony. His personal hobbies include archery, archaeology, and mountaineering.
Dr. David Q. Dawson - 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 arch-enemy and a crimelord; based on Professor James Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Final Problem" (FINA). In the book series he is a mouse as revealed in Basil and the Pygmy Cats (page 25) but in the Disney film he was changed to a rat. Ratigan's given name is revealed in Basil in Mexico (page 99).
Captain Doran - Ratigan's lieutenant; based on Colonel Sebastian Moran from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Empty House" (EMPT).
Mlle. Relda - a beautiful opera singer; based on Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes story, "A Scandal in Bohemia" (SCAN). Basil seems to have romantic feelings for Relda but not much is shown in the books as to their relationship.
The Maharajah of Bengistan - the ruler of Bengistan and a personal friend of Basil's.