Elementary, my dear Watson

It is one hundred years since the world's most famous detective made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual 1887. Since then the stories of his exploits have been translated into over fifty different languages, numerous actors have portrayed him on television and in films and a huge and ever-growing band of followers endlessly debate his every recorded move and opinion. Elementary My Dear Watson provides a lively and intriguing insight into the phenomenon which was and is Sherlock Holmes. Discover how his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, came to write the stories, using people he knew for inspiration, and how, tiring of the character, he tried to get rid of Holmes down the Reichenbach Falls. Such was the popularity of the great detective however, that when Conan Doyle gave in and resuscitated him, there were queues to buy copies of the Strand Magazine (in which the new story appeared) and reading rooms stayed open late to satisfy the demand. The story of how Conan Doyle was himself overshadowed by his creation is fascinating. Sherlock Holmes rapidly acquired a life and personality of his own and this entertaining book also analyses the person