The American playwright and actor William Gillette is best remembered
today for the role of Sherlock Holmes that he first created for the
stage in 1899 and played for more than thirty years. Gillette also
adapted foreign plays for the American stage and wrote strong melodramas
and spy stories in which he frequently appeared himself. This volume
includes All the Comforts of Home (1890), Secret Service (1895) and
Sherlock Holmes (1899). Gillette's sure grasp of the keys to theatrical
success, together with his technical innovations, makes him an
interesting and important theatre figure. In his time, as playwright and
player, he achieved a new combination of melodramatic suspense with a
cool, understated acting style. These three plays represent the range of
his dramatic talent.