Since his debut in the 1887 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes has become more than just character—he is a veritable cultural touchstone worldwide. The mere mention of his name, or even just the sight of his signature deerstalker hat, is enough to evoke thoughts of logic, justice, and insight.
Holmes has also proven to be quite the versatile figure. Faithful adaptations and extensions of Doyle’s classics are always welcome and quite often excellent, but Holmes can go as far as human imagination dares to take him. Want him to relocate to another continent or another century? That works. How about reimagining him as another species altogether? You can do that too. You can even subvert his story entirely, having him work alongside his most famous nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. (And in fact, the Audible Original podcast does just that.)
But who is the man behind the myth? If you want to find out read on—all the essentials you need to know about Sherlock Holmes's character, background, and finest achievements are housed here!
Who is Sherlock Holmes?
Countless fans and scholars have spent decades speculating about the famous detective's past, as there's plenty of room for interpretation based on what little we see in the . What we know for sure is that Sherlock Holmes was born in approximately 1854 to a long line of "country squires," as he describes his ancestors in . He speaks very little about his family and interacts with them even less, with the arguable exception of his older brother Mycroft, who appears in three of the original stories.
In college, Holmes was able to solve the case of the for a school friend, an investigation that convinced him to make a career of detective work. By the time we first meet him in A Study in Scarlet, he has firmly established himself as Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, and is on the lookout for new lodgings. An acquaintance introduces him to Dr. John Watson, newly returned from the war in Afghanistan, and so the greatest partnership in English literature was formed.
What are Sherlock Holmes's greatest cases?
In a career filled with amazing deductions and thrilling moments, it's impossible to narrow Holmes's achievements down to the highlights. That said, here are just a few of our favorite notable cases:
It's rare that a character's defeat can be categorized as a memorable moment, but in this case, it is more than appropriate. After spending the entire story underestimating and misjudging the target of his investigation, opera singer Irene Adler, Holmes finds himself thoroughly humbled by nothing more than a woman's desire to live in peace with the love of her life.
