Sherlock Holmes Universe

The Sherlock Holmes Book, the latest in DK's award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series, tackles the most "elementary" of subjects -- the world of Sherlock Holmes, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sherlock Holmes Book is packed with witty illustrations, clear graphics, and memorable quotes that make it the perfect Sherlock Holmes guide, covering every case of the world's greatest detective, from A Study in Scarlet to The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place, placing the stories in a wider context. Stories include at-a-glance flowcharts that show how Holmes reaches his conclusions through deductive reasoning, and character guides provide handy reference for readers and an invaluable resource for fans of the Sherlock Holmes films and TV series.

A finalist for the Edgar Award for best critical/biographical work. A finalist for the Agatha Award for best nonfiction. Everyone knows Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique literary character who has remained popular for over a century and is appreciated more than ever today. But what made this fictional character, dreamed up by a small-town English doctor in the 1880s, into such a lasting success, despite the author's own attempt to escape his invention? InFrom Holmes to Sherlock, Swedish author and Sherlock Holmes expert Mattias Bostr#65533;m recreates the full story behind the legend for the first time. From a young Arthur Conan Doyle sitting in a Scottish lecture hall taking notes on his medical professor's powers of observation to the pair of modern-day fans who brainstormed the idea behind the TV sensation Sherlock, from the publishing world's first literary agent to the Georgian princess who showed up at the Conan Doyle estate and altered a legacy, the narrative follows the men and women who have created and perpetuated the myth. It includes tales of unexpected fortune, accidental romance, and inheritances gone awry, and tells of the actors, writers, readers, and other players who have transformed Sherlock Holmes from the gentleman amateur of the Victorian era to the odd genius of today.

From Michael Sims, the acclaimed author of The Story of Charlotte's Web, the rich, true tale tracing the young Arthur Conan Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes and the modern detective story. As a young medical student, Arthur Conan Doyle studied in Edinburgh under the vigilant eye of a diagnostic genius, Dr. Joseph Bell. Doyle often observed Bell identifying a patient's occupation, hometown, and ailments from the smallest details of dress, gait, and speech. Although Doyle was training to be a surgeon, he was meanwhile cultivating essential knowledge that would feed his literary dreams and help him develop the most iconic detective in fiction. Michael Sims traces the circuitous development of Conan Doyle as the father of the modern mystery, from his early days in Edinburgh surrounded by poverty and violence, through his escape to University (where he gained terrifying firsthand knowledge of poisons), leading to his own medical practice in 1882.

A wickedly smart and rollicking journey through the birth, life, and afterlives of popular culture's most beloved sleuth.

Today he is the inspiration for fiction adaptations, blockbuster movies, hit television shows, raucous Twitter banter, and thriving subcultures. More than a century after Sherlock Holmes first capered into our world, what is it about Arthur Conan Doyle's peculiar creation that continues to fascinate us? Journalist and lifelong Sherlock fanZach Dundas set out to find the answer.

The result is The Great Detective: a history of an idea, a biography of someone who never lived, a tour of the borderland between reality and fiction, and a joyful romp through the world Conan Doyle bequeathed us.

"This reader's companion to the casework of Sherlock Holmes explores the methodology of the world's most famous consulting detective. From analyzing fingerprints and decoding ciphers to creating disguises and faking one's own death, readers will learn how Holmes solved his most celebrated cases - plus an arsenal of modern techniques available to today's armchair sleuths. Along the way, readers will discover a host of trivia about the master detective and his universe."

No character is more renowned for his powers of thought than Sherlock Holmes. But is his extraordinary intellect merely a gift of fiction, or can people learn to cultivate these abilities? It is possible, says psychologist and journalist Konnikova, and she shows how in this book.

Dialogue with the dead -- Beastly tales and black dogs -- A fly in the ointment -- Proving poison -- Disguise and the detective -- The crime scene by gaslight -- A picture of guilt -- Shots in the dark -- Bad impressions -- The real dirt -- Notes from the devil -- A voice in the blood -- Myth, medicine, and murder.

Contents: The Devonshire moors: Dartmoor -- Investigation -- In London -- On the moor -- The Holmes method -- The principle of incompleteness -- Counter-investigation -- What is detective criticism? -- The plural story -- In defense of the dog -- Stapleton's defense -- Fantasy -- Does Sherlock Holmes exist? -- The immigrants to the text -- The emigrants from the text -- The Holmes complex -- Reality -- Murder by literature -- Death invisible -- The truth -- And nothing but the truth -- The Hound of the Baskervilles.

In Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, Holmes's exploits are presented from the point-of-view of his "Boswell" Dr. Watson.

In this "mock autobiography", Holmes gets the chance to show his side of events.

"...the first totally convincing account of the great man's life evokes magnificently a vanished world. Every reader of Watson's version of Holmes's great cases will want to have the master's own record which contains much vital information never previously put before the public."- from the book jacket

Visit the settings of some of Holmes's most famous cases.

Christopher Lee hosts an overview of Sherlock Holmes as Arthur Conan Doyle wrote of him, as portrayed on the stage, on radio, television, and in the motion pictures by dozens of actors from 1900 to 1985. Includes complete presentation of the 1942 motion picture, The secret weapon, starring Basil Rathbone.