Sherlock Holmes: Difference between revisions

The character Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887's ''[[A Study in Scarlet]]''. His popularity became widespread with the first series of short stories in ''[[The Strand Magazine]]'', beginning with "[[A Scandal in Bohemia]]" in 1891; additional tales appeared from then until 1927, eventually totalling [[Canon of Sherlock Holmes|four novels and 56 short stories]]. All but one{{Efn|"[[His Last Bow (short story)|His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes]]"}} are set in the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] or [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] eras, between about 1880 and 1914. Most are narrated by the character of Holmes's friend and biographer, [[Dr. Watson|Dr. John H. Watson]], who usually accompanies Holmes during his investigations and often shares quarters with him at the address of [[221B Baker Street]], London, where many of the stories begin.

Though not the first fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is arguably the best -known.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/arthur-conan-doyle-the-creator-of-sherlock-holmes-the-worlds-most-famous-literary-detective |title=Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous literary detective |last=Sutherland |first=John |publisher=British Library |access-date=3 July 2018 |archive-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628192901/http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/arthur-conan-doyle-the-creator-of-sherlock-holmes-the-worlds-most-famous-literary-detective |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the 1990s, there were already over 25,000 stage adaptations, films, television productions, and publications featuringhad featured the detective,<ref name=":2" /> and ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' lists him as the most portrayed human literary character in film and television history.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/5/sherlock-holmes-awarded-title-for-most-portrayed-literary-human-character-in-film-tv-41743/ |title=Sherlock Holmes awarded title for most portrayed literary human character in film & TV |date=14 May 2012 |publisher=Guinness World Records |language=en-GB |access-date=5 January 2020 |archive-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210150701/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/5/sherlock-holmes-awarded-title-for-most-portrayed-literary-human-character-in-film-tv-41743/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Holmes's popularity and fame are such that many have believed him to be not a fictional character but aan realactual individual;<ref name=":5">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/05/world/sherlock-holmes-s-mail-not-too-mysterious.html |last=Rule |first=Sheila |date=5 November 1989 |title=Sherlock Holmes's Mail: Not Too Mysterious |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=10 March 2016 |archive-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311030721/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/05/world/sherlock-holmes-s-mail-not-too-mysterious.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1577511/Winston-Churchill-didnt-really-exist-say-teens.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1577511/Winston-Churchill-didnt-really-exist-say-teens.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Winston Churchill didn't really exist, say teens |last=Simpson |first=Aislinn |date=4 February 2008 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=C. T. |date=2021-10-06 |title=The curious incident of Sherlock Holmes's real-life secretary |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/10/06/the-curious-incident-of-sherlock-holmess-real-life-secretary |access-date=2021-10-10 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=10 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010164947/https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/10/06/the-curious-incident-of-sherlock-holmess-real-life-secretary |url-status=live }}</ref> numerous literary and fan societies have been founded on [[Sherlockian game|this pretence]]. Avid readers of the Holmes stories helped create the modern practice of [[fandom]].<ref name=":3">{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160106-how-sherlock-holmes-changed-the-world |title=How Sherlock Holmes changed the world |last=Armstrong |first=Jennifer Keishin |date=6 January 2016 |access-date=20 December 2019 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=17 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217093624/http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160106-how-sherlock-holmes-changed-the-world |url-status=live }}</ref> The character and stories have had a profound and lasting effect on [[Detective fiction|mystery writing]] and [[Popular culture references to Sherlock Holmes|popular culture]] as a whole, with the original tales, as well as thousands [[Sherlock Holmes pastiches|written by authors other than Conan Doyle]], being [[Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes|adapted]] into stage and radio plays, television, films, video games, and other media for over one hundred years.

{{Cite book | last = Sova | first = Dawn B. | title = Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z | publisher = Checkmark Books | location = New York | year = 2001 | edition = Paperback | isbn = 0-8160-4161-X | pages = [https://archive.org/details/edgarallanpoetoz0000sova/page/162 162–163] | url = https://archive.org/details/edgarallanpoetoz0000sova/page/162 }}</ref> Conan Doyle once wrote, "Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has developed&nbsp;... Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?"<ref>{{Cite book | last = Knowles | first = Christopher | title = Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes | location = San Francisco | year = 2007 |publisher = Weiser Books |isbn=978-1-57863-406-4|page=67| title-link = Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes }}</ref> Similarly, the stories of [[Émile Gaboriau]]'s [[Monsieur Lecoq]] were extremely popular at the time Conan Doyle began writing Holmes, and Holmes's speech and behaviour sometimes follow those of Lecoq.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Sherlock Holmes: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes|last=Conan Doyle|first=Arthur|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1993|editor-last=Lancelyn Green|editor-first=Richard|location=Oxford|pages=xv}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sims|first=Michael|date=25 January 2017|title=How Sherlock Holmes Got His Name|url=https://lithub.com/how-sherlock-holmes-got-his-name/|access-date=11 November 2020|website=Literary Hub|language=en-US|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716112159/https://lithub.com/how-sherlock-holmes-got-his-name/|url-status=live}}</ref> Doyle has his main characters discuss these literary antecedents near the beginning of ''A Study in Scarlet'', which is set soon after Watson is first introduced to Holmes. Watson attempts to compliment Holmes by comparing him to Dupin, to which Holmes replies that he found Dupin to be "a very inferior fellow" and Lecoq to be "a miserable bungler".<ref>Klinger III, pp. 42-44—''A Study in Scarlet''</ref>

Other possible inspirations have been proposed, though never acknowledged by Doyle, such as ''Maximilien Heller'', by French author Henry Cauvain. In this 1871 novel (sixteen years before the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes), Henry Cauvain imagined a depressed, anti-social, opium-smoking [[polymath]] detective, operating in Paris.<ref>{{cite book|title = Peter D. O'Neill, foreword to ''Maximilien Heller''|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dAhVcqVyDeAC&pg=PA3|access-date = 10 November 2015|isbn = 9781901414301|last1 = Cauvain|first1 = Henry|year = 2006|publisher = Glen Segell Publishers|archive-date = 19 February 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240219042323/https://books.google.com/books?id=dAhVcqVyDeAC&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=¿Fue Sherlock Holmes un plagio?|url=http://www.abc.es/cultura/20150223/abci-polemica-sobre-sherlock-holmes-201502211944.html|newspaper=[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]|date=22 February 2015|access-date=10 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033314/http://www.abc.es/cultura/20150223/abci-polemica-sobre-sherlock-holmes-201502211944.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=''Maximilien Holmes. How Intertextuality Influences Translation'', by Sandro Maria Perna, Università degli Studi di Padova 2013/14|url=http://tesi.cab.unipd.it/46778/1/TESI_COMPLETA_UNIPD.pdf|access-date=10 November 2015|archive-date=3 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103230818/http://tesi.cab.unipd.it/46778/1/TESI_COMPLETA_UNIPD.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is not known if Conan Doyle read the novel, but he was fluent in French.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=France|title=France|website=The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623005023/https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=France|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, [[Michael Harrison (writer)|Michael Harrison]] suggested that a German self-styled "consulting detective" named Walter Scherer may have been the model for Holmes.<ref>{{cite web|last

=Brown|first=David W.|title=15 Curious Facts About Sherlock Holmes and the Sherlockian Subculture|url=https://mentalfloss.com/article/63985/15-curious-facts-about-sherlock-holmes-and-sherlockian-subculture|work=[[Mental Floss]]|date=14 May 2015|access-date=15 January 2019|archive-date=16 JanuaryBiography 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116045937/https://mentalfloss.com/article/63985/15-curious-facts-about-sherlock-holmes-and-sherlockian-subculture|url-status=live}}</ref>

Details of Sherlock Holmes's life in Conan Doyle's stories are scarce and often vague. Nevertheless, mentions of his early life and extended family paint a loose biographical picture of the detective.

A statement of Holmes's age in "[[His Last Bow]]" places his year of birth at 1854; the story, set in August 1914, describes him as sixty years of age.<ref>Klinger II, p. 1432—"[[His Last Bow (short story)|His Last Bow]]"</ref> His parents are not mentioned, although Holmes mentions that his "ancestors" were "country [[Landed gentry|country squires]]". In "[[The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter]]", he claims that his grandmother was sister to the French artist Vernet, without clarifying whether this was [[Claude Joseph Vernet|Claude Joseph]], [[Carle Vernet|Carle]], or [[Horace Vernet]]. Holmes's brother [[Mycroft Holmes|Mycroft]], seven years his senior, is a government official. Mycroft has a unique [[civil service]] position as a kind of human database for all aspects of government policy. Sherlock describes his brother as the more intelligent of the two, but notes that Mycroft lacks any interest in physical investigation, preferring to spend his time at the [[Diogenes Club]].<ref>Klinger I, pp. 637-639—"[[The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter|The Greek Interpreter]]"</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/mycroft-holmes|title=Mycroft Holmes|last=Quigley|first=Michael J.|website=The Official Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.|access-date=27 December 2019|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227073317/https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/mycroft-holmes|url-status=live}}</ref>

Holmes says that he first developed his methods of deduction as an undergraduate; his earliest cases, which he pursued as an amateur, came from his fellow university students.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 529-531—"[[The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual|The Musgrave Ritual]]"</ref> A meeting with a classmate's father led him to adopt detection as a profession.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 501-502—"[[The Adventure of the Gloria Scott|The ''Gloria Scott'']]"</ref>

{{Blockquote|Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it [''A Study in Scarlet''] with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of [[Euclid]]. &nbsp;... Some facts should be suppressed, or, at least, a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes, by which I succeeded in unravelling it.<ref>Klinger III, p. 217—''The Sign of Four''</ref>|sign=|source=}}

Holmes's clients vary from the most powerful monarchs and governments of Europe, to wealthy [[Aristocracy|aristocrats]] and [[industrialist]]s, to impoverished [[pawnbroker]]s and [[governess]]es. He is known only in select professional circles at the beginning of the first story, but is already collaborating with [[Scotland Yard]]. However, his continued work and the publication of Watson's stories raise Holmes's profile, and he rapidly becomes well known as a detective; so many clients ask for his help instead of (or in addition to) that of the police<ref>"[[The Adventure of the Reigate Squire|The Reigate Squires]]" and "[[The Adventure of the Illustrious Client]]" are two examples.</ref> that, Watson writes, by 1887 "Europe was ringing with his name"<ref>"The Reigate Squires"</ref> and by 1895 Holmes has "an immense practice".<ref>Klinger II, p. 976—"[[The Adventure of Black Peter]]"</ref> Police outside London ask Holmes for assistance if he is nearby.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 561-562—"The Reigate Squires"</ref> A [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|PrimeBritish Ministerprime minister]]<ref>Klinger II, pp. 1190-1191, 1222-1225—"[[The Adventure of the Second Stain]]"</ref> and the [[King of Bohemia]]<ref name="Klinger I pp. 15-16">Klinger I, pp. 15-16—"A Scandal in Bohemia"</ref> visit 221B Baker Street in person to request Holmes's assistance; the [[President of France]] awards him the [[Legion of Honour]] for capturing an assassin;<ref>Klinger II, p. 1092—"[[The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez]]"</ref> the King of Scandinavia is a client;<ref>Klinger I, p. 299—"[[The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor]]"—there was no such position in existence at the time of the story.</ref> and he aids the [[Holy See|Vatican]] at least twice.<ref>''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (Klinger III p. 409) and "The Adventure of Black Peter" (Klinger II p. 977)</ref> The detective acts on behalf of the British government in matters of national security several times<ref>"[[The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans]]", "[[The Adventure of the Naval Treaty|The Naval Treaty]]", and after retirement, "[[His Last Bow (story)|His Last Bow]]".</ref> and declines a [[Knight Bachelor|knighthood]] "for services which may perhaps some day be described".<ref>Klinger II, p. 1581—"The Adventure of the Three Garridebs"</ref> However, he does not actively seek fame and is usually content to let the police take public credit for his work.<ref>In "The Naval Treaty" (Klinger I p. 691), Holmes remarks that, of his last fifty-three cases, the police have had all the credit in forty-nine.</ref>

The first set of Holmes stories was published between 1887 and 1893. Conan Doyle killed off Holmes in a final battle with the criminal mastermind [[Professor Moriarty|Professor James Moriarty]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/professor-james-moriarty|title=Professor James Moriarty|last=Walsh|first=Michael|website=The Official Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.|access-date=27 December 2019|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227073317/https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/professor-james-moriarty|url-status=live}}</ref> in "[[The Final Problem]]" (published 1893, but set in 1891), as Conan Doyle felt that "my literary energies should not be directed too much into one channel.".<ref>Klinger II, p. 1448—''The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes''</ref> However, the reaction of the public surprised Doylehim very much. Distressed readers wrote anguished letters to ''[[The Strand Magazine]]'', which suffered a terrible blow when 20,000 people cancelled their subscriptions to the magazine in protest.<ref name="Hounding"/> Conan Doyle himself received many protest letters, and one lady even began her letter with "You brute".<ref name="Hounding">{{cite news |title=The hounding of Arthur Conan Doyle |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/the-hounding-of-arthur-conan-doyle-1.323267 |access-date=8 October 2020 |newspaper=The Irish News |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128002254/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/the-hounding-of-arthur-conan-doyle-1.323267 |url-status=live }}</ref> Legend has it that Londoners were so distraught upon hearing the news of Holmes's death that they wore black armbands in mourning, though there is no known contemporarycontemporaneous source for this; the earliest known reference to such events comes from 1949.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/armbands.html|title=A Reader Challenge & Prize|last=Calamai|first=Peter|website=The Baker Street Journal|date=22 May 2013|access-date=25 June 2018|archive-date=27 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527161708/http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/armbands.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the recorded public reaction to Holmes's death was unlike anything previously seen for fictional events.<ref name=":3" />

{{Blockquote|in his personal habits one of the most untidy men that ever drove a fellow-lodger to distraction. [He] keeps his cigars in the [[coal scuttle|coal-scuttle]], his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece. &nbsp;... He had a horror of destroying documents.&nbsp;... Thus month after month his papers accumulated, until every corner of the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were on no account to be burned, and which could not be put away save by their owner.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 528-529—"The Musgrave Ritual"</ref>|sign=|source=|title=}}

While Holmes canis becharacterised as dispassionate and cold, during an investigation he iscan be animated and excitable during an investigation. He has a flair for showmanship, often keeping his methods and evidence hidden until the last possible moment so as to impress observers.<ref>Klinger III, p. 481—''The Hound of the Baskervilles''</ref> HisHolmes companionis condoneswilling to break the detective'slaw willingnessas toa bendmeans thefor truthrighting (ora breakwrong, contending that "there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge."<ref>{{Cite book |last=[[DK (publisher)|DK]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9LgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT564 |title=The Sherlock Holmes Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained |date=2019-11-12 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4654-9944-8 |location=United Kingdom |pages=564 |language=en}}</ref> His companion condones the detective's willingness to do this on behalf of a client—lying to the police, concealing evidence or breaking into houses—when he also feels it morally justifiable.<ref>"A Scandal in Bohemia", "[[The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton]]", and "[[The Adventure of the Illustrious Client]]"</ref>

Except for that of Watson, Holmes avoids casual company. In [[The Adventure of the Gloria Scott|"The ''Gloria Scott''"]], he tells the doctor that during two years at college he made only one friend: "I was never a very sociable fellow, Watson &nbsp;... I never mixed much with the men of my year."<ref name="Klinger I p. 502">Klinger I, p. 502—"The ''Gloria Scott''"</ref> The detective goes without food at times of intense intellectual activity, believing that "the faculties become refined when you starve them.".<ref>Klinger II, p. 848—"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder"</ref><ref>Klinger II, p. 1513—"The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone"</ref> At times, Holmes relaxes with music, either playing the violin<ref>Klinger III, pp. 34-36—''A Study in Scarlet''</ref> or enjoying the works of composers such as [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]<ref>Klinger II, pp. 1296-1297—"[[The Adventure of the Red Circle]]"</ref> and [[Pablo de Sarasate]].<ref>Klinger I, p. 58—"The Red-Headed League"</ref>

Holmes occasionally uses addictive drugs, especially in the absence of stimulating cases.<ref>Klinger III, pp. 213-214—''The Sign of Four''</ref> He sometimes used [[morphine]] and sometimes [[cocaine]], the latter of which he injects in a seven-per cent solution; both drugs [[Drug policy of the United Kingdom#History|were legal]] in 19th-century England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/doyle/addiction.html|title=Sherlock Holmes's Addictions|last=Diniejko|first=Andrzej|date=13 December 2013|website=The Victorian Web|access-date=27 December 2019|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227043831/http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/doyle/addiction.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/science/addiction/addiction2.html|title=Victorian Drug Use|last=Diniejko|first=Andrzej|date=7 September 2002|website=The Victorian Web|access-date=27 December 2019|archive-date=2 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202222702/http://www.victorianweb.org/victorian/science/addiction/addiction2.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author= Dalby, J. T. |title= Sherlock Holmes's Cocaine Habit |journal= Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine |year= 1991 |volume= 8 |pages= 73–74 |url= http://bakerstreetdozen.com/coca.html |doi= 10.1017/S0790966700016475 |s2cid= 142678530 |access-date= 24 September 2007 |archive-date= 16 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716225106/http://www.bakerstreetdozen.com/coca.html |url-status= live |issn = 2051-6967}}</ref> As a physician, Watson strongly disapproves of his friend's cocaine habit, describing it as the detective's only vice, and concerned about its effect on Holmes's [[mental health]] and intellect.<ref>Klinger III, pp. 215-216—''The Sign of Four''</ref><ref>Klinger II, p. 450—"[[The Adventure of the Yellow Face|The Yellow Face]]"</ref> In "[[The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter]]", Watson says that although he has "weaned" Holmes from drugs, the detective remains an addict whose habit is "not dead, but merely sleeping".<ref>Klinger II, p. 1124—"The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"</ref>

As Conan Doyle wrote to Joseph Bell, "Holmes is as inhuman as a [[Charles Babbage|Babbage]]'s Calculating Machine and just about as likely to fall in love."<ref>{{cite book|last=Liebow|first=Ely|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5nb6TywMIQC&pg=PA173 |date=1982|title=Dr. Joe Bell: Model for Sherlock Holmes|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=9780879721985|page=173|access-date=17 October 2014}}</ref> Holmes says of himself that he is "not a whole-souled admirer of womankind",<ref>Klinger III, p. 704—''The Valley of Fear''</ref> and that he finds "the motives of women &nbsp;... inscrutable. &nbsp;... How can you build on such quicksand? Their most trivial actions may mean volumes"..."<ref>Klinger II, pp. 1203-1204—"The Adventure of the Second Stain"</ref> In ''[[The Sign of the Four|The Sign of Four]]'', he says, "Women are never to be entirely trusted—not the best of them", a feeling Watson notes as an "atrocious sentiment.".<ref>Klinger III, p. 311—''The Sign of Four''</ref> In "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane", Holmes writes, "Women have seldom been an attraction to me, for my brain has always governed my heart."<ref>Klinger II, p. 1676—"The Adventure of the Lion's Mane"</ref> At the end of ''The Sign of Four'', Holmes states that "love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true, cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgement."<ref>Klinger III, p. 378—''The Sign of Four''</ref> Ultimately, Holmes claims outright that "I have never loved."<ref>Klinger II, p. 1422—"The Adventure of the Devil's Foot"</ref>

[[Irene Adler]] is a retired American opera singer and actress who appears in "[[A Scandal in Bohemia]]". Although this is her only appearance, she is one of only a handful of people who bestbests Holmes in a battle of wits, and the only woman. For this reason, Adler is the frequent subject of [[pastiche]] writing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/irene-adler|title=Irene Adler|last=Karlson|first=Katherine|website=The Official Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.|access-date=27 December 2019|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227073313/https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/character/irene-adler|url-status=live}}</ref> The beginning of the story describes the high regard in which Holmes holds her:

{{Blockquote|To Sherlock Holmes she is always ''the'' woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. &nbsp;... And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 5-6—"A Scandal in Bohemia"</ref>}}

Despite Holmes's supposed ignorance of politics, in "A Scandal in Bohemia" he immediately recognises the true identity of the disguised "Count von Kramm".<ref name="Klinger I pp. 15-16"/> At the end of ''A Study in Scarlet'', Holmes demonstrates a knowledge of [[Latin]].<ref>Klinger III, p. 202—''A Study in Scarlet''</ref> The detective cites [[Hafez]],<ref>Klinger I, p. 100—"A Case of Identity"</ref> [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe]],<ref>Klinger IIII, p. 282—''The Sign of Four''</ref> as well as [[Flaubert's letters|a letter]] from [[Gustave Flaubert]] to [[George Sand]] in the original French.<ref>Klinger I, p. 73—"The Red-Headed League"</ref> In ''The Hound of the Baskervilles,'', the detective recognises works by [[Godfrey Kneller]] and [[Joshua Reynolds]]: "Watson won't allow that I know anything of art, but that is mere jealousy since our views upon the subject differ."<ref>Klinger III, p. 570—''The Hound of the Baskervilles''</ref> In "[[The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans]]", Watson says that "Holmes lost himself in a monograph which he had undertaken upon the Polyphonic [[Motet]]s of [[Lassus]]", considered "the last word" on the subject—which must have been the result of an intensive and very specialized musicological study which could have had no possible application to the solution of criminal mysteries.<ref>Klinger III, pp. 1333-1334, 1338-1340—"The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans"</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://webpages.charter.net/lklinger/lassus.htm|title=Lost in Lassus: The Missing Monograph|last=Klinger|first=Leslie|year=1999|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174800/http://webpages.charter.net/lklinger/lassus.htm|archive-date=3 March 2016|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>

Holmes is a [[cryptanalyst]], telling Watson that "I am fairly familiar with all forms of secret writing, and am myself the author of a trifling monograph upon the subject, in which I analyse one hundred and sixty separate ciphers."<ref>Klinger II, p. 888—"The Adventure of the Dancing Men"</ref> Holmes also demonstrates a knowledge of psychology in "A Scandal in Bohemia", luring Irene Adler into betraying where she hid a photograph based on the premise that a woman will rush to save her most valued possession from a fire.<ref>Klinger I, p. 33—"A Scandal in Bohemia"</ref> Another example is in "[[The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle]]", where Holmes obtains information from a salesman with a wager: "When you see a man with whiskers of that cut and [[The Sporting Times|the 'Pink 'un']] protruding out of his pocket, you can always draw him by a bet&nbsp;.... I daresay that if I had put 100 pounds down in front of him, that man would not have given me such complete information as was drawn from him by the idea that he was doing me on a wager."<ref>Klinger I, p. 216—"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"</ref>

Holmes observes the dress and attitude of his clients and suspects, noting skin marks (such as tattoos), contamination (such as ink stains or clay on boots), emotional state, and physical condition in order to deduce their origins and recent history. The style and state of wear of a person's clothes and personal items are also commonly relied on; in the stories, Holmes is seen applying his method to items such as walking sticks,<ref>Klinger III, pp. 387-392—''The Hound of the Baskervilles''</ref> pipes,<ref>Klinger I, pp. 450-453—"The Yellow Face"</ref> and hats.<ref>Klinger I, pp. 201-203—"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"</ref> For example, in "A Scandal in Bohemia", Holmes infers that Watson had got wet lately and had "a most clumsy and careless servant girl.". When Watson asks how Holmes knows this, the detective answers:

In the first Holmes story, ''A Study in Scarlet'', Dr. Watson compares Holmes to [[C. Auguste Dupin]], Edgar Allan Poe's fictional detective, who employed a similar methodology. Alluding to an episode in "[[The Murders in the Rue Morgue]]", where Dupin determines what his friend is thinking despite their having walked together in silence for a quarter of an hour, Holmes remarks: "That trick of his breaking in on his friend's thoughts with an apropos remark&nbsp;... is really very showy and superficial."<ref>Klinger III, p. 42—''A Study in Scarlet''</ref> Nevertheless, Holmes later performs the same 'trick' on Watson in "[[The Adventure of the Cardboard Box|The Cardboard Box]]"<ref>Klinger I, pp. 423-426—"The Cardboard Box"</ref> and "[[The Adventure of the Dancing Men]]".<ref>Klinger II, pp. 864-865—"The Adventure of the Dancing Men"</ref>

[[Guy Mankowski]] has said of Holmes that his ability to change his appearance to blend into any situation "helped him personify the idea of the English eccentric chameleon, in a way that prefigured the likes of [[David Bowie]].".<ref name=":254">{{Cite web |last=Schurr |first=Maria |date=15 March 2021 |title=Hauntings, Dystopia and the English Outsider in Albion's Secret History |url=https://www.popmatters.com/guy-mankowski-albions-secret-history |access-date=30 July 2021 |website=Pop Matters |archive-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730162312/https://www.popmatters.com/guy-mankowski-albions-secret-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

The detective is described (or demonstrated) as possessing above-average physical strength. In "[[The Adventure of the Yellow Face|The Yellow Face]]", Holmes's chronicler says, "Few men were capable of greater muscular effort."<ref>Klinger I, p. 449—"The Yellow Face"</ref> In "[[The Adventure of the Speckled Band]]", Dr. Roylott demonstrates his strength by bending a fire poker in half. Watson describes Holmes as laughing and saying, {{"'}}If he had remained I might have shown him that my grip was not much more feeble than his own.' As he spoke he picked up the steel poker and, with a sudden effort, straightened it out again."<ref>Klinger I, p. 243—"The Adventure of the Speckled Band"</ref>

Holmes is an adept [[Bare-knuckle boxing|bare-knuckle]] fighter; "[[The Adventure of the Gloria Scott|The ''Gloria Scott'']]" mentions that Holmes boxed while at university.<ref name="Klinger I p. 502"/> In [[The Sign of the Four|''The Sign of Four'']], he introduces himself to McMurdo, a [[Professional boxing|prize fighter]], as "the [[Amateur boxing|amateur]] who fought three rounds with you at Alison's rooms on the night of your benefit four years back.". McMurdo remembers: "Ah, you're one that has wasted your gifts, you have! You might have aimed high if you had joined the fancy."<ref>Klinger III, pp. 262-263—''The Sign of Four''</ref> In "The Yellow Face", Watson says: "He was undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of his weight that I have ever seen."<ref>Klinger I, pp. 449-450—"The Yellow Face"</ref> In "The Solitary Cyclist", Holmes visits a country [[pub]] to make enquiries regarding a certain Mr Woodley which results in violence. Mr Woodley, Holmes tells Watson,<ref name="Klinger II p. 915">Klinger II, p. 915—"The Solitary Cyclist"</ref>

{{blockquote|...&nbsp;had been drinking his beer in the tap-room, and had heard the whole conversation. Who was I? What did I want? What did I mean by asking questions? He had a fine flow of language, and his adjectives were very vigorous. He ended a string of abuse by a vicious backhander, which I failed to entirely avoid. The next few minutes were delicious. It was a straight left against a slogging ruffian. I emerged as you see me. Mr. Woodley went home in a cart.<ref name="Klinger II p. 915"/>}}

[[File:The Strand Magazine (cover), vol. 65, no. 321, September 1917.jpg|thumb|upright|The popularity of Sherlock Holmes became widespread after his first appearance in ''[[The Strand Magazine]]'' in 1891. This September 1917 edition of the magazine, with the cover story, '"Sherlock Holmes outwits a German spy'", could be posted to troops free of charge.]]

The first two Sherlock Holmes stories, the novels ''[[A Study in Scarlet]]'' (1887) and ''[[The Sign of the Four]]'' (1890), were moderately well received, but Holmes first became very popular early in 1891 when the first six short stories featuring the character were published in ''[[The Strand Magazine]]''. Holmes became widely known in Britain and America.<ref name=":1"/> The character was so well known that in 1893 when Arthur Conan Doyle killed Holmes in the short story "[[The Final Problem]]", the strongly negative response from readers was unlike any previous public reaction to a fictional event. The ''Strand'' reportedly lost more than 20,000 subscribers as a result of Holmes's death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kathryn Caroline Smith |date=2 May 2008 |title=Forming and Protecting the Middle-Class Victorian Ideal: Holmes and Watson |url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncp/f/Forming%20and%20Protecting%20the%20Middle-Class%20Victorian%20Ideal.pdf |website=University of North Carolina at Greensboro |publication-place=[[University of North Carolina at Pembroke]]}}</ref> Public pressure eventually contributed to Conan Doyle writing another Holmes story in 1901 and resurrecting the character in a story published in 1903.<ref name=":3"/> In Japan, Sherlock Holmes (and [[Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Alice]] from ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'') became immensely popular in the country in the 1890s as it was opening up to the West, and they are cited as two British fictional Victorians who left an enormous creative and cultural legacy there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nathan |first=Richard |date=18 December 2020 |title=Ultra-Influencers: The Two British Fictional Victorians that Changed Japan |url=https://www.redcircleauthors.com/news-and-views/ultra-influencers-the-two-british-fictional-victorians-that-changed-japan/|access-date=21 January 2021|website=Red Circle Authors|archiveurl-datestatus=18live December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218082150/https://www.redcircleauthors.com/news-and-views/ultra-influencers-the-two-british-fictional-victorians-that-changed-japan/ |urlarchive-statusdate=live18 December 2020 |access-date=21 January 2021 |website=[[Red Circle Authors]]}}</ref>

Many fans of Sherlock Holmes have written letters to Holmes's address, [[221B Baker Street]]. Though the address 221B Baker Street did not exist when the stories were first published, letters began arriving to the large [[Abbey National]] building which first encompassed that address almost as soon as it was built in 1932. Fans continue to send letters to Sherlock Holmes;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/5394699/Santander-who-was-Abbeys-most-famous-customer.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/5394699/Santander-who-was-Abbeys-most-famous-customer.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Santander: who was Abbey's most famous customer?|date=27 May 2009|website=The Telegraph|access-date=18 February 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> these letters are now delivered to the [[Sherlock Holmes Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-mystery-of-221b-baker-street-3608784/|title=The Mystery of 221B Baker Street|last=Stamp|first=Jimmy|date=18 July 2012|website=[[Smithsonian Magazine(magazine)|Smithsonian]] |access-date=18 February 2020|archive-date=23 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123204245/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-mystery-of-221b-baker-street-3608784/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of the people who have sent letters to 221B Baker Street believe Holmes is real.<ref name=":5"/> Members of the general public have also believed Holmes actually existed. In a 2008 survey of British teenagers, 58 per cent of respondents believed that Sherlock Holmes was a real individual.<ref name=":6"/>

The Sherlock Holmes stories continue to be widely read.<ref name=":1"/> Holmes's continuing popularity has led to many reimaginings of the character in adaptations.<ref name=":3"/> ''Guinness World Records'', which awarded Sherlock Holmes the title for "most portrayed literary human character in film & TV" in 2012, released a statement saying that the title "reflects his enduring appeal and demonstrates that his detective talents are as compelling today as they were 125 years ago.".<ref name=":0"/>

In 2002, the [[Royal Society of Chemistry]] bestowed an honorary fellowship on Holmes for his use of forensic science and analytical chemistry in popular literature, making him (as of 20192024) the only fictional character thus honoured.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2332461.stm|title=NI chemist honours Sherlock Holmes|date=16 October 2002|access-date=19 June 2011|work=BBC News|archive-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619014414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2332461.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Holmes has been commemorated numerous times on a UK postage stampstamps issued by the [[Royal Mail]], most recently in their [[Great Britain commemorative stamps 2020–2029#2020|August 2020 series]] to celebrate the ''Sherlock'' television series.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Mail launches Sherlock Holmes stamps that reveal secret storylines under UV light |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/sherlock-holmes-stamps-royal-mail-uv-light-buy-arthur-conan-doyle-a9651496.html |date=18 August 2020 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=The Independent |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001105307/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/sherlock-holmes-stamps-royal-mail-uv-light-buy-arthur-conan-doyle-a9651496.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The exact phrase, as well as close variants, can be seen in newspaper and journal articles as early as 1909.<ref name="bostrom183" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/07/14/watson/|title=Elementary, My Dear Watson|website=Quote Investigator|date=14 July 2016 |access-date=3 January 2017}}</ref> It was also used by [[P. G. Wodehouse]] in his novel ''[[Psmith, Journalist]]'', which was first serialised in ''[[The Captain (magazine)|The Captain]]'' magazine between October 1909 and February 1910; the phrase occurred in the January 1910 instalment. The phrase became familiar with the American public in part due to its use in [[Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series)|the Rathbone-Bruce series of films]] from 1939 to 1946.<ref>{{cite book | last = Bunson| first = Matthew |author-link=Matthew Bunson | title = Encyclopedia Sherlockiana | publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers]] | year=1997| pages = 72–73 | isbn =0-02-861679-0 }}</ref>

In 1969, the [[Toronto Reference Library]] began a collection of materials related to Conan Doyle. Stored today in Room 221B, this vast collection is accessible to the public.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/specialized-collections/literature-genre-doyle.jsp|title=Arthur Conan Doyle Collection|website=Toronto Public Library|language=en|access-date=31 December 2019|archive-date=4 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104113832/https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/specialized-collections/literature-genre-doyle.jsp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomteicholz/2016/04/17/finding-sherlock-holmes-in-toronto/|title=Finding Sherlock Holmes in Toronto|last=Teicholz|first=Tom|date=17 April 2016|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=31 December 2019|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231065340/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomteicholz/2016/04/17/finding-sherlock-holmes-in-toronto/|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, in 1974 the [[University of Minnesota]] founded a collection that is now "the world's largest gathering of material related to Sherlock Holmes and his creator". Access is closed to the general public, but is occasionally open to tours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lib.umn.edu/holmes|title=Sherlock Holmes · University of Minnesota Libraries|website=www.lib.umn.edu|access-date=31 December 2019|archive-date=11 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911142423/https://www.lib.umn.edu/holmes|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/27/books-thread-sherlock-archive-minnesota|title=Exploring the largest Sherlock Holmes archive in the world|last=Mumford|first=Tracy|date=27 June 2015|website=MPR News|access-date=31 December 2019|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507005054/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/27/books-thread-sherlock-archive-minnesota|url-status=live}}</ref>

Susan Cannon Harris claims that themes of contagion and containment are common in the Holmes series, including the metaphors of Eastern foreigners as the root cause of "infection" within and around Europe.<ref name=":04">{{Cite journal|last=Harris|first=Susan Cannon|date=2003|title=Pathological Possibilities: Contagion and Empire in Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Stories|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25058636|journal=Victorian Literature and Culture|volume=31|issue=2|pages=447–466|doi=10.1017/S1060150303000238|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |jstor=25058636|s2cid=162476755|issn=1060-1503|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-date=29 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529015806/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25058636|url-status=live}}</ref> Lauren Raheja, writing in the Marxist journal ''Nature, Society, and Thought'', claims that Doyle used these characteristics to paint eastern colonies in a negative light, through their continually being the source of threats. For example, in one story, Doyle makes mention of the [[Sumatra]]n cannibals (also known as [[Batak]]) who throw poisonous darts, in "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot", a character employs a deadly West African poison, and in "The Speckled Band", a "long residence in the tropics" was a negative influence on one antagonist's bad temper.<ref name=":13">Raheja, Lauren. "Anxieties of Empire in Doyle's Tales of Sherlock Holmes.". ''Nature, Society, and Thought'', vol. 19, no. 4, 2006, p. 417, ProQuest Central.</ref> Yumna Siddiqi argues that Doyle depicted returned colonials as "marginal, physically ravaged characters that threaten the peace,", while putting non-colonials in a much more positive light.<ref name=":23">{{Cite journal|last=Siddiqi|first=Yumna|date=2006|title=The Cesspool of Empire: Sherlock Holmes and the Return of the Repressed|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25058745|journal=Victorian Literature and Culture|volume=34|issue=1|pages=233–247|doi=10.1017/S1060150306051138|jstor=25058745|s2cid=162557404|issn=1060-1503|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419050827/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25058745|url-status=live}}</ref>

Adaptations have seen the character taken in radically different directions or placed in different times or even universes. For example, Holmes falls in love and marries in [[Laurie R. King]]'s [[Mary Russell (fictionalcharacter)|Mary Russell]] series, is re-animated after his death to fight future crime in the animated series ''[[Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century]]'', and is meshed with the setting of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]] in [[Neil Gaiman]]'s "[[A Study in Emerald]]" (which won the 2004 [[Hugo Award]] for Best Short Story). An especially influential pastiche was [[Nicholas Meyer]]'s ''[[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution]]'', a 1974 ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' bestselling novel (made into the 1976 [[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (film)|film of the same name]]) in which Holmes's cocaine addiction has progressed to the point of endangering his career. It served to popularize the trend of incorporating clearly identified and contemporaneous historical figures (such as [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Aleister Crowley]], [[Sigmund Freud]], or [[Jack the Ripper]]) into Holmesian pastiches, something Conan Doyle himself never did.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/movies/how-the-seven-per-cent-solution-reinvented-sherlock-holmes.html|title=The Holmes Behind the Modern Sherlock|last=Hale|first=Mike|date=25 January 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 December 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=27 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227203039/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/movies/how-the-seven-per-cent-solution-reinvented-sherlock-holmes.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Alternative Sherlock Holmes|last1=Ridgway Watt|first1=Peter|last2=Green|first2=Joseph|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7546-0882-0|pages=2, 92}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20100118/41642-the-return-of-sherlock-holmes.html|title=The Return of Sherlock Holmes|last=Picker|first=Lenny|date=18 January 2010|website=Publishers Weekly|language=en|access-date=4 January 2020|archive-date=19 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219042733/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20100118/41642-the-return-of-sherlock-holmes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Another common pastiche approach is to create a new story fully detailing an otherwise-passing canonical reference (such as an aside by Conan Doyle mentioning the "[[giant rat of Sumatra]], a story for which the world is not yet prepared" in "[[The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire]]").<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Alternative Sherlock Holmes|last1=Ridgway Watt|first1=Peter|last2=Green|first2=Joseph|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|isbn=0-7546-0882-4|pages=3–4}}</ref>

In terms of writers other than Conan Doyle, authors as diverse as [[Agatha Christie]], [[Anthony Burgess]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Dorothy B. Hughes]], [[Stephen King]], [[Tanith Lee]], [[A. A. Milne]], and [[P. G. Wodehouse]] have all written Sherlock Holmes [[pastiches]]. Contemporary with Conan Doyle, [[Maurice Leblanc]] directly featured Holmes in his popular series about the [[gentleman thief]], [[Arsène Lupin]], though legal objections from Conan Doyle forced Leblanc to modify the name to "Herlock Sholmes" in reprints and [[Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes|later stories]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=Maurice_Leblanc|title=Maurice Leblanc|website=The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807062600/https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=Maurice_Leblanc|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1944, American mystery writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee (writing under their joint pseudonym [[Ellery Queen]]) published ''[[The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'', a collection of thirty-three pastiches written by various well-known authors.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/scriblio_test_044/mode/2up |title=The misadventures of Sherlock Holmes |publisher=Little Brown |year=1944 |editor-last=Queen |editor-first=Ellery}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nevins |first=Francis M. |title=Ellery Queen: The Art of Detection: The story of how two fractious cousins reshaped the modern detective novel. |publisher=Perfect Crime Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-935797-47-0 |language=English}}</ref> Mystery writer [[John Dickson Carr]] collaborated with Arthur Conan Doyle's son, [[Adrian Conan Doyle]], on ''[[The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes]]'', a pastiche collection from 1954.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=The_Exploits_of_Sherlock_Holmes|title=The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes|website=The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807131215/https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php?title=The_Exploits_of_Sherlock_Holmes|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, [[Anthony Horowitz]] published a Sherlock Holmes novel, ''[[The House of Silk]]'', presented as a continuation of Conan Doyle's work and with the approval of the Conan Doyle estate;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/27/house-silk-anthony-horowitz-sherlock-holmes|title=The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz – review|last=Sansom|first=Ian|date=27 October 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=31 December 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=7 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807054817/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/27/house-silk-anthony-horowitz-sherlock-holmes|url-status=live}}</ref> a follow-up, ''[[Moriarty (novel)|Moriarty]]'', appeared in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Flood|first1=Alison|title=Sherlock Holmes returns in new Anthony Horowitz book, Moriarty|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/10/anthony-horowitz-new-sherlock-holmes-book-moriarty|access-date=9 August 2014|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|date=10 April 2014|newspaper=Guardian|archive-date=11 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811005406/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/10/anthony-horowitz-new-sherlock-holmes-book-moriarty|url-status=live}}</ref> The "MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories" series of pastiches, edited by David Marcum and published by MX Publishing, has reached over thirtyforty volumes and features hundreds of stories echoing the original canon which were compiled for the restoration of [[Undershaw]] and the support of Stepping Stones School, now housed in it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-07-15/largest-ever-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes-stories-will-raise-money-to-restore-conan-doyles-house/|title=Largest ever collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories will raise money to restore Conan Doyle's house|date=15 July 2015|work=[[Radio Times]]|access-date=14 July 2019|archive-date=14 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714194059/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-07-15/largest-ever-collection-of-new-sherlock-holmes-stories-will-raise-money-to-restore-conan-doyles-house/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.steppingstones.org.uk/Community/Undershaw-A-school/|title=Stepping Stones School|access-date=14 July 2019|archive-date=19 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919003159/https://www.steppingstones.org.uk/Community/Undershaw-A-school/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some authors have written tales centred on characters from the canon other than Holmes. Anthologies edited by [[Michael Kurland]] and [[George Mann (writer)|George Mann]] are entirely devoted to stories told from the perspective of characters other than Holmes and Watson. [[John Gardner (British writer)|John Gardner]], Michael Kurland, and [[Kim Newman]], amongst many others, have all written tales in which Holmes's nemesis [[Professor Moriarty]] is the main character. [[Mycroft Holmes]] has been the subject of several efforts: ''Enter the Lion'' by [[Michael P. Hodel]] and Sean M. Wright (1979),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/michael-p-sean-m-wright-hodel/enter-the-lion-a-posthumous-memoir-of-mycroft-h/|title=Enter the Lion: A Posthumous Memoir of Mycroft Holmes|date=1 July 1979|website=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=4 January 2020|archive-date=19 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219042818/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/michael-p-sean-m-wright-hodel/enter-the-lion-a-posthumous-memoir-of-mycroft-h/|url-status=live}}</ref> a four-book series by [[Quinn Fawcett]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.macmillan.com/author/|title=Quinn Fawcett|website=Macmillan Publishers|language=en-US|access-date=4 January 2020|archive-date=5 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105025352/https://us.macmillan.com/author/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 2015's ''[[Mycroft Holmes (novel)|Mycroft Holmes]]'', by [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] and Anna Waterhouse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/kareem-abdul-jabbar-returns-to-his-other-passion-sherlock-holmes/2018/10/02/e1564636-c591-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|title=Review {{!}} Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returns to his other passion: Sherlock Holmes|last=Dirda|first=Michael|date=3 October 2018|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003124607/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/kareem-abdul-jabbar-returns-to-his-other-passion-sherlock-holmes/2018/10/02/e1564636-c591-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|archive-date=3 October 2018|access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref> [[M. J. Trow]] has written a series of seventeen books using [[Inspector Lestrade]] as the central character, beginning with ''The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade'' in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mjtrow.co.uk/lestrade/|title=The Lestrade Series|last=Trow|first=M.J.|website=M. J. Trow, Author and Lecturer|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701151145/http://www.mjtrow.co.uk/lestrade/|archive-date=1 July 2016|access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref> [[Carole Nelson Douglas]]' Irene Adler series is based on "the woman" from "A Scandal in Bohemia", with the first book (1990's ''Good Night, Mr. Holmes'') retelling that story from Adler's point of view.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://carolenelsondouglas.com/book-series/irene-adler/|title=The Irene Adler Series|website=Carole Nelson Douglas|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226200647/http://carolenelsondouglas.com/book-series/irene-adler/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Martin Davies (writer)|Martin Davies]] has written three novels where Baker Street housekeeper [[Minor Sherlock Holmes characters#Mrs. Hudson|Mrs. Hudson]] is the protagonist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://martindaviesauthor.com/the-holmes-%26-hudson-series|title=The Holmes & Hudson Series|website=Martin Davies|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910123913/http://www.martindaviesauthor.com/the-holmes-%26-hudson-series|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Laurie R. King]] recreated Holmes in her [[Mary Russell (fictionalcharacter)|Mary Russell]] series (beginning with 1994's ''[[The Beekeeper's Apprentice]]''), set during the First World War and the 1920s. Her Holmes, semi-retired in Sussex, meets a teenage American girl. Recognising a kindred spirit, he trains her as his apprentice and subsequently marries her. As of 2024, the series includes eighteen base novels and additional writings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russell & Holmes |url=https://laurierking.com/books/series/russell-holmes/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |website=Laurie R. King |language=en-US |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118094338/https://laurierking.com/books/series/russell-holmes/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Jeremy Brett]] played the detective in [[Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|''Sherlock Holmes'']] for [[Granada Television]] from 1984 to 1994. Watson was played by [[David Burke (British actor)|David Burke]] (in the first two series) and [[Edward Hardwicke]] (in the remainder).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tillerson |first=Bethany |date=2022-06-03 |title='Sherlock Holmes': 8 Things That Make The 1984 TV Show The Best Adaptation |url=https://collider.com/sherlock-holmes-eighties-tv-show-best-adaptation/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |language=en}}</ref> Brett and Hardwicke also appeared on stage in 1988–89 in ''The Secret of Sherlock Holmes'', directed by [[Patrick Garland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/The_Secret_of_Sherlock_Holmes|title=The Secret of Sherlock Holmes|website=The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia|access-date=15 June 2018|archive-date=15 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615214440/https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/The_Secret_of_Sherlock_Holmes|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Benedict Cumberbatch]] plays a modern version of the detective and [[Martin Freeman]] as a modern version of John Watson in the [[BBC One]] TV series ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'', which premiered in 2010. In the series, created by [[Mark Gatiss]] and [[Steven Moffat]], the stories' original [[Victorian era|Victorian]] setting is replaced by present-day London, with Watson a veteran of the modern [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jul/18/sherlock-holmes-is-back-bbc|title=Sherlock Holmes is back... sending texts and using nicotine patches|last=Thorpe|first=Vanessa|date=18 July 2010|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=4 January 2020|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030175252/http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jul/18/sherlock-holmes-is-back-bbc|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, ''[[Elementary (TV series)|Elementary]]'' premiered on [[CBS]] in 2012 and ran for seven seasons, until 2019. Set in contemporary [[New York City]], the series featuredstars [[Jonny Lee Miller]] as Sherlock Holmes and [[Lucy Liu]] as a female Dr. Joan Watson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/elementary/about/|title=About ELEMENTARY – TV Show Information|website=www.cbs.com|language=en|access-date=4 April 2019|archive-date=14 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914192705/https://www.cbs.com/shows/elementary/about/|url-status=live}}</ref> WithThe 24series episodeswas perfilmed seasonprimarily in New York City, and, by the end of season two, Miller became the actor who had portrayed Sherlock Holmes the most in television and/or film.<ref>{{cite book|title=From Holmes to Sherlock|title-link=From Holmes to Sherlock|last=Boström|first=Mattias|publisher=[[Mysterious Press]]|year=2017|isbn=978-0-8021-2789-1|page=483}}</ref>

The 2018 television adaptation, ''[[Miss Sherlock]]'', was a Japanese-language production and the first adaptation with a woman (portrayed by [[Yūko Takeuchi]]) in the signature role. The episodes were based in modern-day Tokyo, with many references to Conan Doyle's stories.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/151011/irreverent-joys-japanese-sherlock-holmes|title=The Irreverent Joys of a Japanese Sherlock Holmes|last=Livingstone|first=Josephine|date=31 August 2018|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|access-date=18 November 2019|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=18 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118061716/https://newrepublic.com/article/151011/irreverent-joys-japanese-sherlock-holmes|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/04/26/tv/yuko-takeuchi-steps-iconic-role-miss-sherlock-elementary-ease/|title=Yuko Takeuchi steps into an iconic role on 'Miss Sherlock' with elementary ease|last=Smith|first=Alyssa I.|date=26 April 2018|website=[[The Japan Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=16 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416011812/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/04/26/tv/yuko-takeuchi-steps-iconic-role-miss-sherlock-elementary-ease/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, although the United States court ruling and the passage of time meant that most of the Holmes stories and characters were in the public domain in that country, the Doyle estate legally challenged the use of Sherlock Holmes in the film ''[[Enola Holmes (film)|Enola Holmes]]'' in a complaint filed in the United States.<ref name="denofgeek.com">{{cite web |last1=Britt |first1=Ryan |date=26 June 2020 |title=Conan Doyle Estate Sues Netflix Enola Holmes |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/conan-doyle-estate-sues-netflix-enola-holmes/ |website=Den of Geek |access-date=6 November 2020 |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030140223/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/conan-doyle-estate-sues-netflix-enola-holmes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Doyle estate alleged that the film depicts Holmes with personality traits that were only exhibited by the character in the stories still under copyright.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mahdawi|first=Arwa|date=7 October 2020|title=The curious case of Sherlock Holmes' evolving emotions|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/07/the-curious-case-of-sherlock-holmes-evolving-emotions|access-date=11 November 2020|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115004712/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/07/the-curious-case-of-sherlock-holmes-evolving-emotions|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/conan-doyle-estate-sues-netflix-coming-movie-sherlock-holmes-sister-1300108 |title=Conan Doyle Estate Sues Netflix Over Coming Movie About Sherlock Holmes' Sister |website=The Hollywood Reporter |last=Gardner |first=Eriq |date=24 June 2020 |access-date=8 November 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624232025/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/conan-doyle-estate-sues-netflix-coming-movie-sherlock-holmes-sister-1300108 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 18 December 2020, the lawsuit was dismissed [[Prejudice (legaldismissed term)|with prejudice]] by [[stipulation]] of all parties.<ref>{{cite web|first=Alison|last=Flood|date=22 December 2020|title=Lawsuit over 'warmer' Sherlock depicted in Enola Holmes dismissed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/dec/22/lawsuit-copyright-warmer-sherlock-holmes-dismissed-enola-holmes|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124024730/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/dec/22/lawsuit-copyright-warmer-sherlock-holmes-dismissed-enola-holmes|archive-date=24 January 2021|access-date=23 December 2020|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Aaron|last=Moss|date=20 December 2020|title="Enola Holmes" Copyright Lawsuit Dismissed: Unsolved, Yet Resolved|url=https://copyrightlately.com/enola-holmes-copyright-lawsuit-dismissed/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220180827/https://copyrightlately.com/enola-holmes-copyright-lawsuit-dismissed/|archive-date=20 December 2020|access-date=23 December 2020|website=Copyright Lately|quote=That means the case was probably settled, although we don't know for sure.}}</ref>