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| Holmes strikes at the speckled band (Wikipedia) |
Note: British doctor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 stories about the adventures of Sherlock Homes, and four novels. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" was his personal favorite.
Get Ready: Have you--or anyone you know--ever kept an exotic pet? If so, what was it? If not, is there one you would like to have?
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| Walter Hartright is accosted by the Woman in White on a lonely road--at night (Wikimedia) |
Note: Wilkie Collins was a popular novelist, but this and The Moonstone are his two best-known works.
Get Ready: Have you ever had someone tap you on the shoulder (or otherwise get your attention) when you thought no one was there? What happened?
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| "Vincent Spaulding" tells Jabez Wilson of a vacancy in the Red-headed League (Wikimedia) |
Note: Here's another clever story--with a surprise solution--featuring the estimable Sherlock Holmes!
Get Ready: If you wanted to get someone out of his or her house, how would you do it?
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| Macnee as Steed and Rigg as Peel (Wikipedia) |
Note: Before the rise of the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (but around the time the Avengers superhero team first "assembled" in the comic books, in 1963) there was another team of "avengers" on British television--not as awesome, but a lot more fun!
Get Ready: What do you think an "avenger" does?
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| The only surviving authenticated portrait of Billy the Kid (Wikipedia) |
Note: In just over two decades of life, young Henry McCarty made himself a name as "Billy the Kid." the legend lives on.
Get Ready: Do you find characters like Billy the Kid to be "romantic heroes," or see them as mere outlaws?
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| Cover of a Dick Tracy comic (Wikipedia) |
Note: The "Sunday funnies" were our favorite source of reading material when I was a kid, and are still around today.
Get Ready: Do you like comics, or comic books? Why or why not?
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| Ian Fleming's own sketch of James Bond (Wikipedia) |
Note: No fictional spy is more famous than the debonair "Bond. James Bond," former spy Ian Fleming's masterful creation.
Get Ready: Have you seen a James Bond movie? Did you know the movies were based on a series of novels?
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| "From that moment Bill's spirit was broken" (Wikipedia) |
Note: "O. Henry" is famous for his surprise endings; this story features one of the best!
Get Ready: Have you ever had to deal with a difficult child? How did he or she behave? How did you deal with it?
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| Butch Cassidy (Wikipedia) |
Note: For a long time, movie heroes were the "good guys." Then along came films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that glorified small-time crooks into tragic heroes, so that they are household names in America even today.
Get Ready: Do you think the hero of a story must be a good person to be admired?
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| "A Suspicious Character" (1888) (Wikipedia) |
Note: Jack the Ripper remains one of the most fascinating killers in history, and the mystery of who he was remains unsolved.
Get Ready: As we shall see, the number of serial killers has increased from before 1800 until today. What might be some of the reasons for this?
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| Wyatt Earp (Wikipedia) |
Note: One of America's most famous "lawmen" often crossed over to the other side...
Get Ready: How is it possible for someone who is sworn to uphold the law to also break the law regularly? Is this surprising, or does it seem natural to you?
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| Holmes (r) and Watson (Wikipedia) |
Note: Few fictional characters have been mistaken for real people, but Arthur Conan Doyle's famous "consulting detective" has just that distinction. Let's meet him and his sidekick, Dr. John Watson.
Get Ready: What steps would you follow to solve a mystery?
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| Detail of a poster from the film (Wikipedia) |
Note: With the help of her comical henchmen, Cruella de Vil wants a coat made of the fur of Dalmatian puppies--but a network of dogs (and one cat) spoil her plans!
Get Ready: Do you think dogs (and cats) can communicate with each other in ways that we don't understand?
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| Still from a 1945 film adaptation of the novel (Wikipedia) |
Note: No one wrote mysteries like Agatha Christie, and none of her mysteries was as successful as this one!
Get Ready: Do you like mystery stories? Are you good at figuring them out?
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| The Hound stands over the slain form of Sir Hugo Baskerville (Wikipedia) |
Note: Since British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced his most famous character in 1887, Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. John Watson have become the most familiar detectives in the world.
Get Ready: Have you ever read or seen any of the stories of Sherlock Holmes? What are his characteristics?
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