Sherlock Holmes: Story Behind the Legend

A Study in Scarlet, the first published work to include Sherlock Holmes, was published 136 years ago on December1, 1887. But was there a real person behind the character? The answer is not so elementary.
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[@Endureromex]

Dr. Watson wasn't stupid. He was a successful doctor, perhaps not brilliant in crime and deduction matters but, brave, loyal, an excellent writer and a true gentleman. Maybe Conan Doyle himself was a bit resentful of Dr. Watson's success.

[@joshuamoon3667]

I think Doyle was a master of irony. His character Holmes condemns Poe's detective, but it's clear that both Doyle and Holmes have read the stories over and over again. Nobody can express their frustrations better than the devout fan! Similarly, Doyle always highlights Watson's shortcomings from Holmes' PoV because he wants to show that Holmes is Watson's biggest fan.

[@mk14m0]

I’d say that Doyle saw himself in his character Watson, and was being somewhat ironic and self-deprecating in his comments.

[@RealSaintB]

Compared to Holmes Watson was the things that Doyle said

[@jessebauer7372]

Watson is often portrayed as an idiot in many of the movies, but he is an essential asset to Holmes in the short stories and novels.

[@FerrickOxhide]

He was an active youthful strong man in his prime, not a doddering elderly idiot portrayed in most theatrical elements

[@olebiker]

When I read Sherlock Holmes stories I always imagine Jeremy Brett playing the character.

[@vlmellody51]

Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Sherlock Holmes.

[@MahkyVmedia1]

I always saw myself

[@nedludd7622]

Not me.

[@JamesThomas-gg6il]

Much better than the movies with Basil Rathbone.

[@patriciadean1649]

He was the best Sherlock

[@JeanBray-cj3lu]

I fell in love with mysteries when I was 9 years old, and watched a black and white movie, a Sherlock Holmes story. It stared Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. And, I was hooked!!! 70 years later, still read and watch mysteries on film. There is a part of my library devoted to my hero, Sherlock.

[@rdhunkins]

A lot of the imagery we have of Holmes and Watson , such as the deerstalker hat, Watson's mustache, and the Holmes' pipes are due to Sidney Paget, the illustrator used for The Strand magazine. Thanks THC for the story on Sherlock Holmes! Well done!

[@Legionmint7091]

Funny, I was just about to write what you wrote. Another fun fact is that in none of the novels the phrase “Elementary my dear Watson” appears. It’s only in the movies the phrase is used.

[@caw25sha]

Holmes used the word elementary at least once, although without the "my dear Watson". He was also described as smoking a clay pipe, not the more elaborate type. I think extensive moustaches were very common at the time so not really a distinctive characteristic.

[@markshrimpton3138]

While it’s true that the popular image of Holmes is largely due to Sidney Paget’s sharp illustrations, the pipe, to which you made reference, ie a meerschaum, owes everything to an American actor and playwright, William Gillette (1853 - 1937). He was the first to take Holmes on to the stage and screen. So convincing was his interpretation that Conan Doyle almost felt that his fictional character had come to life. Gillette found the style of pipe shown in The Strand Magazine illustrations by Paget to be too small and insignificant for the stage and used a meerschaum instead. It was he who is credited with being the first to utter the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" -a phrase that never appears in Conan Doyle's stories

[@Legionmint7091]

@@markshrimpton3138 I believe the now world famous deerstalker hat was attributed to Gillette as well, if I’m not mistaken. In the books Holmes kept his tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper by the fireplace and smoked three different pipes: a churchwarden style clay, a briar, and a cherry wood.

[@markshrimpton3138]

@@Legionmint7091 I think you are probably correct. A British gentleman at that time would never have worn such an item in the city, though Gillette was American and regarded the deerstalker as quintessentially English. Initially however it was ease of use on stage that caused Gillette to predominantly use the deerstalker rather than a Bowler or Topper. His four-act play, Sherlock Holmes, in association with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was premiered in 1889 at the Garrick Theatre in New York. Conan Doyle generally approved of Gillette’s interpretation, especially when the money flowed his way. Paget himself only showed Holmes sporting a deerstalker in an illustration for the story The Boscombe Valley Mystery and that appeared in The Strand Magazine in October 1891. I’ve been unable to discover any instructions to the artist, either from Doyle or the publisher, requesting that he showed Holmes in a deerstalker. But that’s not surprising considering that very few of Paget’s original drawings have survived.

[@honodle7219]

That was interesting. Conan Doyle created a larger than life character so popular he found himself unable to let go of it. And still popular down into our day. That's a hell of a good legacy.

[@HoopTY303]

As an amateur artist & historian who loves to write fiction it amazes me how often people leap at the idea’s of mine which I didn’t think would be all that popular and the ideas I was most excited about are oftentimes dud’s.

[@bkohatl]

The brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe and C. Auguste Dupin in hiding a missing document in plain sight is one of the most brilliant deductions ever. It is in simple in its elegance. I read the Purloined Letter when I was 8-years-old and have never waivered in that opinion. Thank your Mr. Poe for inventing Sherlock Holmes, Lt. Columbo, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and The Mentalist.

[@michaelmanning5379]

Some literary critic (I've forgotten who) points out that the path taken by Holmes to Reichenbach Falls (where he's supposed to have died) follows on branch at a Y-junction. If you follow the other branch you get to the glacier where Dr. Frankenstein has his final confrontation with his Monster. The argument is that this was an intentional nod by Conan Doyle to Shelly-Wolfenscroft and that he was killing off his own monstrous creation.

[@rickieoakes5267]

One of my friends had a basset hound named Sherlock. Although he was very lovable, he definitely was not the smartest dog 🐕. But he did have a nose for finding the true scent of things!

[@LucienSabre]

I’ve always been struck (often not positively) by the…dichotomy of Arthur Conan Doyle, how he created what’s probably the most rational and skeptical character in the history of literature while he himself was a staunch believer of the paranormal and supernatural. It’s a mystery, almost an enigma, that I think not even Sherlock could solve.

[@dj-kq4fz]

That has been a weird juxtaposition to me as well (Cottingley faeries!). Maybe he wrote a character to balance out his own eccentricities.

[@LucienSabre]

@@dj-kq4fz Yeah, that is certainly a valid theory.

[@billrentz]

When my kids were young we would checkout a Holmes video form the library every Saturday and made that our family movie night. They look back with great fondness on those nights.

[@njpaddler]

Thanks, Lance. I've been a fan of A.C.D. since I was a kid. I have two volumes, all of Holmes, one from 1920 of the later stories and a reprint from 1950 of the first set with all of the original Strand magazine illustrations by Sidney Paget & others. Of all of the actors, Jeremy Brett is the one for me.

[@donalddodson7365]

Yes, seen my millions more viewers. However, for me it will always be Basil Rathbone and the 1950's TV serialization.

[@coldlakealta4043]

I agree absolutely - Rathbone it is and always will be!@@donalddodson7365

[@randalllewis4485]

Yes, Jeremy Brett's work is the best of the many portrayals of Holmes. These productions acknowledge Holmes drug use (unlike some movies) and don't treat Watson as a bumbling fool. I have the entire set and watch them in order every few years.

[@jeffjames4064]

I've had to remind myself that Holmes was a fictional character a number of times. Regardless of his origin, I'm grateful to have been able to read the stories.

[@JeremiahsFiles]

I’ve also watched Vincent Price & Diana Rigg’s intros & conclusions to episodes of the Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Jeremy Brett on “Mystery!” on KZbin. I learned a lot more about Sherlock Holmes & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from these intros & conclusions. The Final Problem was the last of the original Sherlock Holmes stories Conan Doyle wrote in 1893, but then Conan Doyle wrote about what really happened to Holmes at Reichenbach Falls in the story The Empty House nearly a decade later.

[@thistlenstar]

Several years ago, I read an edition of L'Histoire magazine on Spinoza. Some of the articles were about the influence he had on the various authors. I recently came across a note I had made regarding Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle was evidently quite an admirer of Spinoza, who made his living grinding lenses. Doyle included the magnifying glass in Holmes' tools as a symbol of the presence of the rational, penetrating mind of Spinoza in the character of Holmes.

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good Friday morning History Guy and everyone watching. Make the last 31 days of 2023 count. Have a nice weekend.

[@stevedolesch9241]

Personally, as a writer myself, have been inspired by the ways Sherlock (or sureluck) solved cases. He inspired and taught me, if I can use the word, to listen, look (observe), analyse, and solve everyday problems.

[@detroitredneckdetroitredne6674]

Hello from Detroit Michigan brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through time and space and GOD-BLESS

[@LauseMarkA]

Conan Doyle's library included the volume _Knots Untied_ by George S. McWatters, one of the first private detectives in the U.S.--and a man who really deserves a biography.

[@claires8735]

Love this! I a big Sherlock Holmes fan. As for Watson's name: in one short story (I forget which one), his wife says of him, "James has gone to bed."

[@BuckHelton]

Yes, and at other times a friend’s wife refers to him as Dr. Jack.

[@markshrimpton3138]

Conan Doyle made quite a few errors of this kind. I think we can forgive him.

[@BogeyTheBear]

The Man With The Twisted Lip.

[@LymanPhillips]

Fascinating video as always, thanks history guide. I was delighted to see P. G. Woodhouse on the cover of the strand magazine. Are Jeeves and Wooster a suitable subject of history that deserves to be remembered? Have a great holiday season!

[@mctavish199]

Jeeves and Wooster have an entire A&E television series devoted to their (mis)adventures, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. It's been out for years.

[@LymanPhillips]

@@mctavish199 totally know that. But the history around the dissipated, post war wastrels is fascinated. With the crash of the grain prices so many of these peers were castle rich and land poor. Hence the frequency of get rich schemes as a side story to so many of the novels. And more

[@TM-ev2tc]

The history of Scotland Yard might make a good video for your channel

[@eatiegourmet1015]

Bobbies and Peelers!

[@-jeff-]

Great detective work THG. You tracked down the trail of the great detective and ran him to ground.

[@MegaJackpinesavage]

Though he's never too humble, there is no police like Holmes.

[@donalddodson7365]

Thank you Team THG. My earliest recollection is in the 1950's being introduced to Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson by the serialized episodes being run on TV. Even now, I watch reruns and imitations as if totally new.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Have a great weekend History Guy 🤓and Classmates!

[@toilaCarissa]

Watson was stupid? What did Doyle think of his fellow man? 🤨 Thank you for the video. Fun stuff😊 I ❤ Sherlock stories & I'm very happy Doyle stuck with Sherlock and Watson as the names.

[@GravesRWFiA]

in a late in his life interview circa 1925 Doyle refers to Watson as 'his rather stupid friend" as one of the few recordings of Doyle it gets a lot of exposure but Watson through the books is a competent doctor and is only when standing next to holmes does he seem less intelgent, like a reasonable playwright seems dull if put into a comparrison with shakespeare.

[@dickmcwood]

​@@GravesRWFiAI was confused when I heard that as well. Because Doyle seemed to write Watson as more of a pupil to Holmes. Throughout the stories he learns Holmes' methods and begins to use them himself. Eventually Watson is even sent out by himself to the Baskervilles in Hound of the Baskervilles to investigate for Holmes.

[@Paladin1873]

When I was a teenager my Dad told me a story of Doctor Bell which is perhaps apocryphal. Supposedly while serving as an assistant to Bell, Doyle witnessed a memorable example of the doctor's keen abilities as an instructor. Bell was demonstrating to a class of medical students how to detect the presence of sugar diabetes by dipping one's finger into a vat of urine and tasting it for sweetness. He then had each student come forward and duplicate his example. Once the entire class was again seated he informed them that the real purpose of his demonstration was to emphasize the importance of the power of observation. "Had you but paid closer attention to my actions, you would have noticed that I dipped my middle finger into the vat, but tasted my index finger." What student was likely to forget that lesson?

[@emmonstrex65]

I've heard that story too. Interesting stuff for sure!

[@erfquake1]

Brilliant episode, HG, thank you.

[@jbrhel]

Outstanding as usual. Thanks THG. Elementary my dear Watson.

[@glencrandall7051]

I noticed in one of the drawings of Holmes how much Basil Rathbone resembled it. He was great in all the Holm movies. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@mrs.g.9816]

My mom liked all the Sherlock Holmes stories, and so do I. Mom also liked the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies. Sherlock Holmes was brilliant, and he struck me as a very focused, perhaps aloof person. Sort of like Dr. Temperance Brennan the main character on "Bones", a TV series I enjoyed watching.

[@robertwalker9625]

I was an avid Holmes fan and before I was 21 had read all of the Holmes stories. I went into law enforcement in my 30's in SW Florida and was promoted to detective in 1990. I started in property crimes or crimes against furniture as I called it and later was moved to the Violent Crimes unit. It was here that I used something Holmes mentioned to Watson, remove what it's not and you are left with what it is. I paraphrased what Holmes said, but putting into practice led me to be quite a successful detective. I later become a senior inspector with the Department of Corrections in Florida as an internal affairs investigator. And Jeremy Britt is my all time favorite actor who portrayed the great detective.

[@paulmcmanus6222]

I have been listening since the first couple months you have been posting these. (I still kick myself for the faux pas of mistaking your subject of Hedy Lamarr.) I think I have enjoyed this one the most. Thank you for your efforts in bringing all these posts to us!

[@missopowers]

Hedley!

[@rogerscottcathey]

Probably the neatest summation of the evolution of both Holmes and Watson and criminology yet.

[@Nastyswimmer]

Another possible reason for the name Sherlock is that Doyle's mother went to live in Masongill in North Yorkshire (and in consequence his first marriage took place in nearby Thornton in Lonsdale church). When visiting his mother he would have travelled to the nearest railway station, at Ingleton, where there was a memorial to Randall Hopley Sherlock, brother of the village's vicar, who had been killed by lightning whilst standing on the platform.

[@gary1anderson]

Thank you for putting your magnifying glass on this topic I really appreciated the closer look into this historical character.

[@DavidKutzler]

I read an anecdote many years ago in Reader's Digest where A. C. Doyle described observing Dr. Bell examining a man complaining of pain in his cheeks. Dr. Bell accurately listed off various conclusions about the man based on his observations, which were confirmed by the man to be correct. Finally Bell asked, "Are you a musician?" The man said, "Yes, Doctor, I play in the Regimental Band." Dr. Bell then said, "It's obvious that this man's pain in his cheeks comes from the high pressure he exerts blowing on a brass instrument. What instrument do you play, soldier?" The man replied, "I play the drum, Doctor."

[@mikewithers299]

Love it. Readers Digest had funny stories in it 🤣🤣

[@sharpright6887]

My favorite character in literature. I have read and reread the Holmes books and stories many times and even after 30 plus years I still enjoy them. I have many different editions of the books on my shelves but prefer reading the two taped together books my Mom bought me as a child. I have the iconic, even if not true to the novels, deerstalker and Inverness Cape. So many good memories. Thank you for this one!

[@catsupchutney]

My only gripe with the Holmes books is the lack of distinction between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. (Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad generalizations. Deductive reasoning works the other way around.)

[@1pcfred]

Holmes' brother Mycroft was the much smarter of the two.

[@stopthecrazyguy9948]

After Conan Doyle killed off Holmes, people across the world wore black armed bands and mourned his passing. Many people thought he was a real person. Much of the credit for that misconception must be given to Doyle's style of writing. Instead of the traditional flowery style of the 19th Century story teller Doyle wrote in the brisk no nonsense style of a modern journalistic reporter (in spite of Holmes' accusations to the contrary.) It gave the impression of actual events as opposed to fictional happenings. When I first read the Sherlock Holmes' stories, I was captivated not only by the characters and the stories but also by the style. After years of reading the classics, Doyle's style was enchanting for it's "facts, ma'am, nothing but the facts" delivery. I am sure readers at the time were surprised and captivated by his narration even more so than I was.

[@craigsudman4556]

I was lucky enough to discover Sherlock Holems when I was a young boy. Whenever I was confronted with a mechanical problem that on first sight stumped me I would think what Sherlock Holmes do? Great stuff. Thumbs up.

[@hughbarton5743]

A lovely and informative account of a fictional character who transcended literature itself to become a cultural icon. Your work, as always, is sharp and clear. Thanks so much.

[@cjfamily2036]

I didn’t realize you had a kids channel too! We will definitely be enjoying that!

[@pitsnipe5559]

One of my most favorite characters. Have read every Holmes story at least three times.

[@jonathanholland8133]

I love Doyle's Holmes and his White Company serieses. One of my favorite books is a rendering of the Holmes series as it looked when published in the Strand Magazine.

[@susanadams-wauro6716]

Love your channel! So entertaining and informative!! Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@dennisboulais7905]

Fabulous story and great research. As a life long fan of Sherlock stories and movies and TV shows the information you provided was entirely new to me. Thank you!

[@billcook7285]

I've always loved this channel.😊

[@RelinaUlryy]

I patterned my entire career as Detective, then Detective Sergeant, after some of Holmes’ lessons.

[@e.f.3207]

Absolutely fascinating! Good job 👍

[@dannystaton5386]

Happy holidays history dude 🎉🎉🎉

[@laserbeam002]

My two favorite Holmes are Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett. I am thankful we have KZbin because I watch and rewatch them a lot. Never get tired of Holmes. And I might add Charlie Chan

[@randysandford4033]

Ah. Charlie Chan and his "number one son". Takes me back years. Thanks for the memory!

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the commentary.

[@l.loganboswell1761]

Always interesting and completely interesting in and complete.

[@jennifermcclain4478]

Just to think, if it wasn't for Sherlock Holmes, I would never know who Basil Rathbone was. As brilliant as Jeremy Brett is as Holmes, Rathbone will always be my favorite. ❤

[@366Gli]

To me. Rathbone and Bruce are the true images of Holmes and Watson. If a new movie ( or TV show) is made the new actors must look exactly like Rathbone and Bruce. If they don't, I won't watch the new show. It will look fake. Some decades ago I went for a job interview near Baker street. I found the spot where No 221B should have been but no sign of Holmes's habitat.

[@philipdove6987]

Good stuff! How about a follow up on the legacy of Sherlock Holmes?

[@mctavish199]

How much time do you have? Why not try a little sleuthing yourself?

[@Annur375]

The Great Sherlock, it is always a pleasure to hear from him and his author, Sir. Arthur Connan Doyle. Thanks for sharing this story. Best to you.

[@lesleedetchon]

I really enjoy your channel. I am not a Sherlock Homes fan but I found this video informative. Thank You so much 😊

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

LOVE learning the origins of the 'Murder Mystery' Genre! I'm a big fan of Sir ACD and 'Sherlock Holmes' and an even bigger fan of Agatha Christie and her stable of detectives! Please do a series on Agatha Christie and the histories behind herself and her famous (and not-so-famous) sleuths! Thank you!

[@la1930]

Thank you Mr. History Guy: IMO: To me: this is the best video and research you have shared. Love, from Canada :0

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@dirtcop11]

It used to be taught to medical students to check the patient's breath. The doctor that delivered me and took care of me for the first years of my life could tell a lot about the patient by the patient's breath.

[@jeffbangkok]

Another enjoyable end to the evening. Good night

[@480pilot]

This was amazingly Fun!!

[@greglower1930]

At 12:21, by interesting coincidence, the magazine cover mentions another famous British author who was an avid Holmes fan and may have coined the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."

[@markshrimpton3138]

Actually that oft repeated phrase was coined by the American actor and playwright William Gillette (1853-1937). It was he who took the great detective on the stage in a highly successful play “what he wrote”. He also used the meerschaum pipe, finding the small pipe illustrated by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine to be to small and fiddly.

[@johnw2026]

I've listened to a lot of the Sherlock Holmes audiobooks. They're very interesting.

[@sheldonseaton6651]

Nice hat in the background as always a connection

[@1bert719]

There is an interesting British made docudrama from 2005 called "The strange case of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle" where Dr Bell is portrayed by the great actor Brian Cox and is well worth a watch if you can locate it on the net.

[@kirtliedahl]

I’m watching this twice in a row. Excellent. 👍

[@ernaanspach473]

I have always questioned why Dr. Watson was portrayed as an older, and overweight man when in Doyle's portrayal, Dr. Watson met Holmes, a veteran, when they were both young. He had no difficulty in keeping up with Holmes on 6 mile hikes and helping to subdue dangerous criminals. He also married Mary Marsden, unlike the movie, where it shows Watson as much older and Marsden marries the younger Shoto. Just a thought...

[@657449]

I read eons ago that Doyle grieved the loss of his son in The Great War that he never wrote another Holmes episode. He was reported to believe in Spiritualism.

[@robertweldon7909]

1/4/2024 Having been a big fan of Sherlock Holms stories, I found myself thinking that Dr, Watson was in fact Doyle himself. The two characters always seemed to be counter play, between the two, and although Holms was a brilliant person, he ALWAYS deferred to Watson about anything medical, adding Watsons own observative ability, though limited. Arthur Conan Doyle also inspired other British mystery writers. I'm sure that Agatha Christy read every one of Doyle's stories, bringing to life Hercules Poirot, one of Britain's most beloved detectives in literature. Several modern day British TV detective shows all pulled from Sherlock Holms, like Foyle's War, Father Brown and Inspector Morse. I have never read an American mystery or TV mystery that measured up to any of them. Thanks for telling us all this "back" story. I just loved hearing it. ;-)

[@MotDoiAnLac258]

Great video!

[@calendarpage]

For some reason, the Sherlock series with Jeremy Brett was recommended to me lately. I saw the shows when they first came out and am enjoying seeing them again on YT. The old movies with Basil Rathbone are also on YT. I've been reading a little about Holmes as a 'person' and am quite happy to find this video. My son and I went to the Sherlock Holmes pub on Baker Street, which had a creation of Holmes' living room upstairs, which was fun to see, especially for a boy of 13 who was quite the Holmes fan.

[@mattgeorge90]

Thank you for sharing ❤

[@mercster]

Thanks History Guy!

[@h2energynow]

His fans also got London to create a 221 B Baker Street. I remember visiting Baker and it wasn't there but today there is a 221 B Baker Street. and a Sherlock Holmes store there today.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yup- they renumbered the street to create a fictional address.

[@lindastansbury2067]

Sherlock Holmes has been my hero for 55 years and Basil Rathbone is the only Holmes for me. I appreciate your bringing facts to light that I never knew about Holme's history.

[@alexcitron5159]

A good synthesis of the subject, including some ideas I hadn't heard before -- and that from a grade A- fan!

[@DawnOldham]

I did not know that Arthur Conan Doyle was such a reluctant writer of Holmes' stories, and that he actually killed Holmes off! What a show of support to have so many people upset to have their beloved character dead. I'm glad that he was resurrected and that we have so many Sherlock Holmes stories and so many other books and TV shows that were inspired by him!

[@frankgulla2335]

Thank you for some insight into the orgins of Sherlock Holmes

[@Anamericanhomestead]

If Sherlock Holmes is the great British detective, then Nero Wolfe is the great American detective. Would love to see an episode about Wolfe and his creator being Rex Stout.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

Thanks. That is how I remembered the origins, but wasn't sure... a great Character...

[@masterskrain2630]

Years ago I visited London, and took a day trip to 221B Baker Street, where Holmes Apartment exists.

[@PhilRounds]

Same thing happened to Isaac Asimov (Foundation) and Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe). They both had to write additional stories to satisfy fans who demanded more.

[@shelbybrown8312]

History guy fans im sure you'll again that this channel is a favorite way to start the day Good afternoon from Chicago heights Illinois

[@richardknott2021]

Love Sherlock Holmes..have all of my life.

[@tenebrisaeternam]

This was a fun watch

[@rcknbob1]

Regarding the clamored-for return of Sherlock Holmes, the stories of the Baker Street detective continued (as you no doubt know) even after Doyle's passing. Some very good Holmes stories have appeared from Baker Street Irregulars and other authors, even including some pastiches by Isaac Asimov. One of my favorites is "The Seven Per Cent Solution" by Nicholas Meyer.

[@NoewerrATall]

Anthony Horowitz (of the TV series Foyle's War) has also written a Sherlock Holmes novel.

[@ErikBramsen]

Watson isn't dumb, he's usually only a step or two behind Sherlock.

[@leftcoaster67]

As was pretty much everyone else. For the exception of his Brother Mycroft.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Hey, I didn’t say he was. Arthur Conan Doyle did.

[@HikuroMishiro]

As THG said, it was just Doyle's own description. I like how this is kind of referenced in the BBC Sherlock where he occasionally diminishes Watson's intelligence even though is at least of average intellect and above average in practicality/capability.

[@robertgerrity878]

Which is better shown in the 2nd Brett Watson: Edward Hardwicke.

[@conradinhawaii7856]

@@robertgerrity878 And wasn't Edward Hardwicke absolutely wonderful as John Watson? 💖

[@wyominghome4857]

Thank heaven for the fan base, because Conan Doyle's best Holmes story - The Hound of the Baskervilles, a masterpiece - was published 8 years after author had killed Holmes off in The Final Problem. Hound was a huge success and led to the character's eventual revival. I also read that Conan Doyle initially intended The Hound of the Baskervilles to only feature Dr. Watson as the detective figure - and Watson does a lot of standard detective work in it - but ultimately felt he had to include Holmes and dated the case before Holmes' supposed demise.

[@AshleyHarleyman]

I was always of the belief that one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s other inspirations when it came to Holmes was Sir Bernard Spilsbury, an early forensic pathologist whose work in the early 1900s led to a number of convictions in high profile murder cases, including that of Harvey Hawley Crippen. His use of a “biographer” in the form of John Watson to narrate the Holmes stories was quite brilliant. And it has more recently been observed that Holmes was himself a quite flawed individual, being as he was an opium addict (the use of opium in Victorian times being so common that Doyle used it in the plots of several stories) and a belief in his own infallibility (which mirrors that of Spilsbury). 221B Baker St still receives mail to this day, addressed to a fictional detective residing at a non-existing address. This being undoubtedly an example of a creation outshining its creator.

[@KelpieDog]

I think I've read, (and reread), every Sherlock story so, on a visit to London, I HAD to wander past 221b Baker St. It's now, of course, the SH museum.

[@josephroth382]

Great story

[@RogueDragon05]

Thanks! It's important to remember the characters origins when so many modern concepts of the character completely redefine the basic principles of him and it's fascinating to learn about anyways.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@nhmooytis7058]

❤ History Guy!

[@Russia-bullies]

I’m betting Joseph Bell will feature in future shows.😁

[@Bill23799]

Doctor Watson: Holmes you have a brilliant, analytical mind. To what school of learning do you attribute the development of your abilities? Was it private school or University? Sherlock Holmes: ( measured pause ) Elementary my dear Watson, Elementary.

[@motaman8074]

😂

[@tedmiles2110]

I am a Sherlock fan; I read the whole cannon and also read Laurie R King's Russell/Holmes stories, we are up to 18 of those! Thank you Dr Doyle! And Sidney Paget! TM retired but still reading mysteries

[@elizabethlaws7526]

Have you ever tried the books by Carol Nelson Douglas? They are 'told ' by the associate of Irene Adler. Very interesting to see the Holmes story from another perspective!