Elementary is the first definitive account of one of Britain's most loved actors, Basil Rathbone. Though Rathbone had a long and distinguished acting career, it was as Sherlock Holmes that he achieved worldwide fame. Appearing in fourteen Holmes films, Rathbone made the role his own, and every actor who has since played the ingenious detective has been compared to him - almost always failing to live up to Rathbone's legacy. He continued his career in Hollywood, appearing in numerous roles, but he found it difficult to free himself of Holmes, eventually accepting he never would. This book spans Rathbone's journey from the trenches of the First World War, when he was awarded a Military Cross for bravery, through to a Hollywood career that earned him three Walk of Fame stars. It also takes in his life away from the silver screen, which included his lifelong friendship with Nigel Bruce, his trusty sidekick Dr Watson in all the Sherlock Holmes films.

David Clayton is an acclaimed biographer, whose titles include The Richard Beckinsale Story and The Curse of Sherlock Holmes: The Basil Rathbone Story (both published by THP).

Basil Rathbone is synonymous with Sherlock Holmes. He played the Victorian sleuth in the fourteen Fox/Universal films of the 1930s and '40s, as well as on stage and radio. For many people, he is the Holmes. Basil Rathbone grew to hate Sherlock Holmes. The character placed restrictions on his career: before Holmes he was an esteemed theatre actor, appearing in Broadway plays such as The Captive and The Swan, the latter of which became his launchpad to greater stardom. But he never, ever escaped his most famous role. Basil Rathbone was not Sherlock Holmes. In The Curse of Sherlock Holmes, celebrated biographer David Clayton looks at the behind-the-camera life of a remarkable man who deserved so much more than to be relegated to just one role.