Steven Doyle Publisher, The Baker Street Journal David A. Crowder Learn to: • Identify key themes, settings, and characters • See the influence of Holmes stories and their impact on literature, mystery writing, and detective work • Discover Holmes through his contemporary fan following, and stage and screen adaptations • Appreciate the literary genius of the Sherlock Holmes canon Sherlock Holmes Making Everything Easier!™ “Move over, Arthur Conan Doyle. Make room for Steve Doyle, whose handy Sherlock Holmes For Dummies will constitute addictive reading for Holmes fans and novices alike. Doyle has merrily put together a compendium of every sort of information regarding The Great Detective, from animal, vegetable, mineral, comical, tragical, and geographical. He even recommends ten Holmes books no aficionado should be without — but make that eleven. Sherlock Holmes For Dummies is essential reading.” – Nicholas Meyer Author, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Open the book and find: • A list of all Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels • A detailed picture of Britain during Holmes’s time • In-depth analysis of Holmes and Watson as characters • Detailed coverage of the four novels in the Sherlockian canon • Holmes portrayals in television, movies, onstage, and in fan fiction • The most memorable quotes of Holmes • Active Sherlockian societies in the United States Steven Doyle is co-founder of Wessex Press/Gasogene Books, a small press specializing in Sherlock Holmes books, including the landmark Sherlock Holmes Reference Library. David A. Crowder is the author or co-author of several For Dummies titles. $19.99 US / $23.99 CN / £14.99 UK ISBN 978-0-470-48444-9 Biography/Literary Go to Dummies.com® for videos, step-by-step photos, how-to articles, or to shop! Your comprehensive guide to this important literary figure and his author It’s elementary! Sherlock Holmes is a classic character who has fascinated readers for decades, and now this indispensable guide explores the enduring detective’s stories like never before. Discover the rich characters, recurring themes, and social context of Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales; the influence of Holmes on literature and pop culture; and why his stories still offer endless and fascinating new discoveries to readers. • See where it all began — meet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who created the world’s greatest detective, and learn about Victorian London, where the Holmes stories take place • Gain new insight into Doyle’s tales — from the classic Hound of the Baskervilles to the lesser-known short stories, get a closer look at the forensics and detective work that made Sherlock Holmes famous • Get to know the characters — discover why Holmes and Watson are such beloved characters, and meet other characters such as cops, bad guys, victims, and damsels in distress • Experience Holmes today — from the ever-expanding network of worldwide fans to story locations that fans can visit, discover how the character continues to resonate with so many devoted followers Sherlock Holmes Doyle Crowder spine=.7680” Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include • Checklists • Charts • Common Instructions • And Other Good Stuff! Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our • Videos • Illustrated Articles • Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on • Digital Photography • Microsoft Windows & Office • Personal Finance & Investing • Health & Wellness • Computing, iPods & Cell Phones • eBay • Internet • Food, Home & Garden Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. Get More and Do More at Dummies.com® To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/sherlockholmes spine=.7680” Sherlock Holmes FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_484449-ffirs.indd i 01_484449-ffirs.indd i 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM 01_484449-ffirs.indd ii 01_484449-ffirs.indd ii 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM by Steven Doyle and David A. Crowder Sherlock Holmes FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_484449-ffirs.indd iii 01_484449-ffirs.indd iii 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM Sherlock Holmes For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http:// www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010921238 ISBN: 978-0-470-48444-9 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_484449-ffirs.indd iv 01_484449-ffirs.indd iv 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM About the Authors Steven Doyle has been a Sherlockian since the age of 14, when his parents gave him a copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for Christmas. Doyle is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, as well as several other Sherlock Holmes societies, including the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis. Doyle has also had a long career in Sherlockian publishing. In 1987, Doyle founded and edited the quarterly journal The Sherlock Holmes Review. This critically acclaimed periodical ran for 10 years. In 1992 he cofounded Wessex Press, a high-quality small press specializing in Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, and other topics of related interest. Wessex Press (and its imprint, Gasogene Books) is the premier Sherlockian publisher in the world. Finally, in 2008, Doyle assumed the role of publisher for The Baker Street Journal, the offi cial quarterly publication of the Baker Street Irregulars. Doyle has also authored countless essays and articles and edited or co-edited fi ve books: The Illustrious Clients Fourth Casebook, The Illustrious Clients Second Case-Notes, Holmes in the Heartland: The Illustrious Clients Fifth Casebook, Murderland, and G. K. Chesterton’s Sherlock Holmes. He lives in Zionsville, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, with his wife, Pamela, and their three cats. David A. Crowder has authored or coauthored more than 25 books, including the bestsellers Building a Web Site For Dummies and CliffsNotes Getting on the Internet. His two most recent books were both listed as essential for all library collections by the magazine Library Journal. Dr. Crowder is a professor in the School of Languages at the University of Antioquia in Colombia. He is equally at home with high technology or with working his way through the backcountry on horseback or in a dugout canoe. When he is not writing, he spends his time with his wife, Angela, wandering through villages in the Andes or frolicking in the Caribbean surf. 01_484449-ffirs.indd v 01_484449-ffirs.indd v 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM 01_484449-ffirs.indd vi 01_484449-ffirs.indd vi 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM Dedication To my parents, who gave their son a Christmas gift that never stopped giving, and to my wife, Pamela, who has always allowed Mr. Holmes to share our home. — Steven Doyle Author’s Acknowledgments Special thanks go out to a number of people who offered advice, help, and encouragement during the writing of this book. My team at Wiley Publishing was terrifi c; Michael Lewis, Tracy Barr, Tim Gallan, and Todd Lothery made the entire process a pleasure, and their feedback materially improved the book. Melanie Hoffman gave insight and encouragement — thanks, Mel! Mark Gagen gets special mention — our London photo safari provided many of the illustrations in this volume. Thanks also to my great friends Mike Whelan, Roy Pilot, Don Curtis, and my brother, Patrick. And fi nally, special thanks to my wife, Pamela Wampler, whose feedback and encouragement on this project helped keep me going. Thanks, everyone! — Steven Doyle 01_484449-ffirs.indd vii 01_484449-ffirs.indd vii 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Senior Project Editor: Tim Gallan Acquisitions Editor: Mike Lewis Copy Editor: Todd Lothery Technical Reviewer: Pamela Bedore Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Senior Editorial Assistant: David Lutton Editorial Assistants: Jennette ElNaggar, Rachelle Amick Cover Photos: to come Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Katie Crocker Layout and Graphics: Yovonne Grego, Joyce Haughey, Ronald G. Terry Proofreader: Cynthia Fields Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_484449-ffirs.indd viii 01_484449-ffirs.indd viii 2/11/10 9:25 PM 2/11/10 9:25 PM