World's Greatest Detective

The author, (Sir) Arthur Conan-Doyle wrote his first Holmes story, A Study In Scarlet, in 1886. Sherlock Holmes, a fictitious character was based on a real man, Dr. Joseph Bell, a renowned forensic 1 scientist at Edinburgh University whom Conan-Doyle studied under. Conan-Doyle wrote 56 short stories & 4 novels (60 adventures in total). Holmes is the 2 prototype for the modern 3 mastermind detective who pursues criminals throughout Victorian and Edwardian London, the South of England and Continental Europe.

In 1939 the novels were developed as a series of films. Basil Rathbone played the role of the famous 4 detective on the screen and established the 5 trademark deerstalker hat, pipe & spyglass as a global visual 6 icon. The first two stories, short novels appeared in a monthly Magazine in 1890. The character grew tremendously in popularity with the beginning of the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891; further series of short stories and two serialized novels appeared until 1927. All but four stories are narrated by Holmes's friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson; two are narrated by Sherlock Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person. Conan Doyle said that the character of Holmes was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell, for whom Doyle had worked as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Like Sherlock Holmes, Bell was noted for drawing large conclusions from the smallest 7 observations. Perhaps one of the 8 quirkiest twenty first-century homages to Holmes belongs to the award-winning American TV series House, which began transmitting in 2004. Dr Gregory House is in many respects a medical Sherlock Holmes, and series creator, David Shore, has admitted that even Dr House name is meant as a subtle homage. The show draws heavily upon Holmes archetypes, such as House reliance on psychology to solve a case, his reluctance to accept cases he does not find interesting, his drug addiction (Vicodin instead of cocaine), his home address (apartment 221B), a complete disregard for social mores, personal talents (playing piano and guitar, rather like Holmes violin), as well as Holmes characteristic ability to judge a situation correctly with almost no effort. Adapted from sherlockholmes website