Publisher's Synopsis
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess and is renowned for his skillful use of deductive reasoning (somewhat mistakenly - see inductive reasoning) and astute observation to solve difficult cases. He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created and is one of the best-known and most universally recognizable literary characters in any genre.
The prototype for the modern mastermind detective, Holmes first appeared in a Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual of 1887. As the world's first and only "consulting detective," he pursued criminals throughout Victorian and Edwardian London, the south of England, and continental Europe.
