With his deerslayer hat, calabash pipe, and quick-witted ways, Sherlock Holmes captured the reading world's imagination in 1887 and hasn't let go.
Sherlock Holmes, the creation of novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first appeared in publication in 1887. Mystery readers throughout the decades have learned of the British detective's deductive prowess through 56 short stories and four novels, narrated by Holmes' friend, side-kick, and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson.
Sherlock Holmes stories appeared in London's Strand magazine in serial form over the course of forty years. This was a common form of publication in the late 19th century and many authors, including Charles Dickens and Mark Twain, debuted their work in such media.
Personality and Habits
Holmes is noted for his deductive reasoning, his quirky personal habits, and his extensive knowledge. Gradually, by reading the series, one learns that Holmes is a master of disguise, a student of chemistry, a casual user of cocaine and morphine, the keeper of a substantive ego, and a loyal friend.
Holmes never married, although he professed affection for Irene Adler and she is mentioned in several stories and appear is "A Scandal in Bohemia."
Holmes vs. Moriarty
Any good sleuth needs a nemesis and Holmes' arch-enemy is Professor James Moriarty. It is with Moriarty that Holmes plunges (supposedly) to his death over the Reichenbach Falls. (Conan Doyle wanted to end the series to concentrate on more scholarly work, but revived the detective because of the outpouring of popular demand.)
Sherlock Holmes Trivia
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed fictional character in film, with 75 actors playing him in 211 movies since 1900.
- 221B Baker Street in London, Holmes' address, has been made into a museum, with a re-created sitting room and a variety of Holmes memorabilia. Other museums exist in Lucens, Switzerland and in the Sherlock Holmes Pub in London.
- Holmes has a brother, Mycroft Holmes, who appears in three stories.
- Sherlock Holmes was inducted as an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2002, the only fictional character so honored.
- Many authors after Arthur Conan Doyle have adapted Sherlock Holmes for their own novels, from Doyle's son, Adrian Conan Doyle to modern best-selling author, Caleb Carr.
Bibliography
Novels:
- A Study in Scarlett (serialized 1887)
- The Sign of the Four (1890)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (serialized 1901-1902)
- The Valley of Fear (serialized 1914-1915)
Short Stories: (originally published in periodicals; later gathered in anthologies)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1891 - 1892)
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1892 - 1893)
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1903 - 1904)
- His Last Bow (1908 - 1913, 1917)
- The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1921 - 1927)
