Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He was devised by Scottish author and doctor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. He is perhaps the most famous fictional detective, and indeed one of the best known and universally recognisable literary characters.
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short-stories featuring his creation. Almost all were narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, with the exception of two narrated by Holmes himself and two more written in the third person. The stories first appeared in magazine serialisation, notably in The Strand, over a period of forty years. This was a common form of publication at the time: Charles Dickens' works were issued in a similar fashion. The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914. They are read as much for their characterisation and the stylised late-Victorian world in which they take place as for the mysteries themselves.
More actors have portrayed Sherlock Holmes than any other character, and by 1964, according to a report in The Times, the worldwide sales of the stories were running second only to the Bible
Historically, Holmes lived from the year 1881 at 221B Baker Street, London, an upper-story flat (in early notes it was described as being situated at Upper Baker Street), where he spent many of his professional years with his good friend, Dr. Watson, and with whom he shared rooms for some time before Watson's marriage in 1890. The residence was maintained by his landlady, Mrs Hudson.
Holmes stated "I am not a whole-souled admirer of womankind." His dislike may have stemmed from the fact he found "the motives of women... so inscrutable... How can you build on such quicksand? Their most trivial actions may mean volumes... their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin." This resistance to his deductive processes may have annoyed him. On the other hand, it may be noted that the landlady, Mrs. Hudson, is never actually described.
2006-11-21 21:27:52
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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That is most surely Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
2006-11-21 20:48:28
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answer #2
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answered by art lover ,musician 1
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That would be Dr. John Watson obviously. He had some unimportant detective guy named Sherlock Holmes for a roommate, I think. ;-)
2006-11-22 00:49:59
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answer #3
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answered by BlueManticore 6
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Was it the doctor, the writer, the musician, or the consultant?
2006-11-21 18:13:31
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answer #4
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answered by Longshiren 6
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