In and Out of Character

Long out of print and virtually impossible to find even in the rare book market, this autobiography recalls to life one of the most eminent actors of his time. Romeo Katherine Cornell's Juliet on stage, Karenina to Garbo's Anna Karenina on film, Rathbone of course remains most indelibly the personification of Sherlock Holmes, a role he played in 16 films and over 200 radio broadcasts. His story, from his youth and early career touring the English provinces to his success on the London and Broadway stage and finally to the memorable Hollywood years, is rich and incident and warmed by a domestic life of uncommon devotion and respect. And it is story that reveals little known and surprising facts about his friends and colleages - both the famous and the infamous - such legendary figures as John Barrymore, Arthur Rubinstein, Irving Thalberg, Ronald Colman, Greta Garbo, Fritz Kreisler, and Marlee Dietrich, to name but a few. Like Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone struggled for perfection in his craft. Like the artist and the man himself, his autobiograophy is graced with charm, sincerity, elegance, and rare perception.