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Arthur Conan Doyle created Holmes as "the ultimate rationalist", but Doyle himself had a lively interest in the supernatural, often attending spiritualist seances. Doyle was also involved in the famous Cottingley Fairies case, where some young girls claimed to have photographed fairies.
Doyle wrote in many genres including science fiction, romance, and non-fiction. He also wrote plays and poetry. Desiring to focus on other works, Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes in 1893 in the story "The Final Problem". Public demand was such, however, that he was forced to bring Holmes back in 1901, explaining how Holmes had managed to survive his plunge at the Reichenbach Falls.
The characters of the Holmes universe are unquestionably Doyle's most famous. But Doyle created another memorable character in Professor Challenger, a brilliant but pugnacious scientist who features most prominently in The Lost World, a novel involving the discovery of living dinosaurs on a plateau in the Amazon Basin.
Many dedicated Holmes enthusiasts refer to themselves as Holmesians (hol-MEE-sians). However, some enthusiasts refer to themselves as Sherlockians -- sometimes leading to (good-natured) rivalry.
There are many Holmes-focused groups both formal and informal, the most famous being the Baker Street Irregulars, an invitation-only group of literati started in 1934 by Christopher Morley. Many of these "BSI" members have written stories in the Sherlock Holmes Universe.
Moriarty, New Mexico, namesake to Holmes' arch-rival, has for many years hosted a group of Holmes enthusiasts from around the country who inhabit the back room at the Frontier Saloon for an Unhappy Birthday Party.
Other "Universes"
- Louisa May Alcott universe
- Jane Austen universe
- James Bond universe
- Bronte Sisters universe
- Edgar Rice Burroughs universe
- Lewis Carroll universe
- Charles Dickens universe
- Dracula universe
- Lovecraft universe
- Edgar Allan Poe universe
- Harry Potter universe
- H.G. Wells universe
- Oscar Wilde universe
- Laura Ingalls Wilder universe
- Wizard of Oz universe
The Sherlock Holmes Universe
The Sherlock Holmes Universe encompasses not only the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, but also many further adventures of The Great Detective and other characters from Doyle's stories.*
This Sherlock Holmes Universe collection also contains library items about "where Holmes walked", modern deconstructions of some of Holmes' cases, and biographies of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The characters created by Doyle are so enduring that modern authors have written new stories not only about Holmes but also Dr. John Watson and his wife, "the woman" Irene Adler, and Holmes' arch-rival Professor Moriarty. Even the Baker Street Irregulars, Inspector Lestrade, and Sherlock's long-suffering housekeeper Mrs. Hudson have gotten their own stories, and Arthur Conan Doyle appears as a character in several works. Other authors have introduced entirely new characters, the "children of Holmes."
The items on this page are a representative sample -- click through on the Sherlock Holmes Universe to see all the Library items tagged in this wide, varied, and ever-growing collection!
* Once the copyright on characters passes into the public domain, any author may legally use the characters in stories.
Sherlock Holmes Universe - The Complete Sherlock Holmes Stories
The Ultimate Sherlock Holmes Collection!
All of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in a 3-volume set, with the original Strand magazine illustrations and over 1,000 annotations examining:
"...the identity of Watson's wives, where Holmes attended college, and what did, in fact, happen at the Reichenbach Falls. Still other notes yield fascinating cultural and historical insights about the Victorian and Edwardian ages, examining an incredible range of topics, including annotations on Victorian bicycling, the development of fingerprinting, the history of the Boer War, the invention of the submarine, the growth of the railroads, the use of the vampire in literature, and the amazingly pervasive fear of premature burial.
Volume II also includes appendices that will prove indispensable to any Sherlockian, including an extensive bibliography and a listing of international societies dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes, as well as numerous Web sites for further study of the stories and the times." - from the book jacket
Sherlock Holmes - Fiction Series
The James Wilson series by Barry Grant.
When James Wilson retires from journalism, he decides to settle down in Herefordshire with a room-mate, a Mr Cedric Coombes, and at first thinks little of his new friend's eccentric behaviour. But he can't shake the feeling that he knows him from somewhere else. As Coombes displays his magnificent deductive prowess, and becomes embroiled in the police investigation of the apparent murder of a man in bathtub, Wilson, or should we say Watson, begins to wonder just who this Coombes really is . . . - from the book jacket
Having emerged from a Swiss glacier and solved his first murder case in more than ninety years (described in The Strange Return of Sherlock Holmes), the world’s most famous detective now sleuths through modern London in search of a stolen letter purportedly written by Shakespeare. Holmes displays his usual mental brilliance as he investigates the missing letter and discovers an international plot to arm terrorists. He and his roommate, James Wilson, track the Shakespeare letter and the terrorist arms dealers to a Scottish castle where surprises await . . . and where the two companions quickly find they must be bloody, bold, and resolute if they are to survive. - from the book jacket
The original super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, is back on the case -A corpse in a sarcophagus, a headless macaw, and a stolen slice of Black Forest gateau alert Sherlock Holmes to a macabre international crime in progress, and lead him through London’s backstreets to the gloomy moors of Cornwall. People vanish, Greek statues vanish. Even Holmes vanishes – to the distress of his companion, James Wilson, whose emails and text messages go unanswered. But Holmes is in top form, fully recovered from his journey through ice to the twenty-first century and ready to reveal a multitude of secrets . . .
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Fiction
Top authors pursue further adventures in the Sherlock Holmes Universe.
You'd better go in disguise / Alan Bradley -- As to "an exact knowledge of London" / Tony Broadbent -- The men with the twisted lips / S.J. Rozan -- The adventure of the purloined Paget / Phillip Margolin and Jerry Margolin -- The bone-headed league / Lee Child -- The startling events in the electrified city / Thomas Perry -- The mysterious case of the unwritten short story / Colin Cotterill -- The case of death and honey / Neil Gaiman -- A triumph of logic / Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon -- The last of Sheila-Locke Holmes / Laura Lippman -- The adventure of the concert pianist / Margaret Maron -- The shadow not cast / Lionel Chetwynd -- The Eyak interpreter / Dana Stabenow -- The case that Holmes lost / Charles Todd -- The imitator / Jan Burke -- A spot of detection / Jacqueline Winspear.
Five original tales inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic character feature Holmes taking on such challenges as the famed siege of Sydney Street, a planned German invasion of America, and a supernatual curse.
Reichenbach Falls - the infamous site of the battle to the death between Sherlock Holmes and his archnemesis, Professor Moriarty.
The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls reveals the long-held secret of the supposed "death match at the Falls" between Holmes and Moriarty, where both survived but neither was unscathed. - from the book jacket
Several degrees of pastiche!
Top writers present new stories in the Sherlock Holmes Universe, in the styles of other great writers. Great literary fun.
The adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society / John Gregory Betancourt (ascribed to H.G. Wells) -- Victor Lynch the forger / Terry McGarry (ascribed to Theodore Dresier) -- The case of the notorious canary trainer / Henry Slesar (ascribed to W. Somerset Maugham) -- The repulsive story of the red leech / Morgan Llywelyn (ascribed to Ernest Hemingway) -- Holmes and the loss of the British Barque Sophy Anderson / Peter Cannon (ascribed to C.S. Forester) -- The politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant / Craig Shaw Gardner (ascribed to Edgar Rice Burroughs) -- Sherlock Holmes, dragon-slayer (The singular adventures of the Grice Patersons in the Island of Uffa) / Darrell Schweitzer (ascribed to Lord Dunsany) -- The adventure of Ricoletti of the club foot (and his abominable wife) / Roberta Rogow (ascribed to P.G. Wodehouse) -- The giant rat of Sumatra / Paula Volsky (ascribed to H.P. Lovecraft) -- Mrs. Vamberry Takes a trip (Vamberry the wine merchant) / Mike Resnick (Ascribed to J. Thorne Smith) -- The adventure of the boulevard assassin / Richard A. Lupoff (ascribed to Jack Kerouac) -- The madness of Colonel Warburton / Carole Bugge (ascribed to Dashiell Hammett) --The manor house case / Edward D. Hoch (ascribed to Ellery Queen) / The adventure of the cripple parade (The singular affair of the aluminium crutch) / William L. DeAndrea (ascribed to Mickeey Spillane) / Marvin Kaye (ascribed to Rex Stout).
Essays and articles by Holmesians, new stories featuring Doyle's characters, and a "Holmesiography".
Authors include James M. Barrie (creator of Peter Pan and Doyle's good friend), August Derleth, Manly Wade Wellman, Edmund Pearson, Poul Anderson, O. Henry, Bret Harte, John Dickson Carr, Fritz Leiber, ZaSu Pitts, Anthony Boucher, Craig Shaw Gardner, Robert Bloch, and Basil Rathbone. Included is a commentary on the Holmes stories by Dr. Joseph Bell, the man Doyle based his detective upon.
This book also features several short works by Arthur Conan Doyle usually left out of Holmes collections.
Adventure of the dying doctor / Colin Bruce -- Adventure of the young British soldier / Bill Crider -- Vale of the white horse / Sharyn McCrumb -- Adventure of the mooning sentry / Jon L. Breen -- Adventure of the rara avis / Carolyn Wheat -- Adventure of the agitated actress / Daniel Stashower -- Case of the Highland hoax / Anne Perry and Malachi Saxon -- Riddle of the golden monkeys / Loren D. Estleman -- Adventure of the curious canary / Barry Day -- Before the adventures / Lenore Carroll -- Holmes and Watson, the head and the heart / Philip A. Shreffler -- Sherlock Holmes on the internet / Christopher Redmond -- Sherlockian library / Jon Lellenberg and Daniel Stashower.
In 1891, Sherlock Holmes in a struggle with his arch-enemy, the Napoleon of Crime, Professor James Moriarty, plunged with him over the Reichenbach Falls to his inevitable death. All of England - indeed the entire world - mourned the irreplaceable loss of the world's greatest detective. And that's where things stood until 1894 when Holmes suddenly reappeared in London, revealing himself to his friend Dr. John Watson, and resumed his activities as a consulting detective. Holmes remained very quiet and mysterious on those missing three years, never really revealing precisely where he'd been and what he'd done in the 'hidden years."
Now, in this anthology of original stories the truth about those thirty-five months is unveiled and Holmes' adventures described. While some stories place Holmes in such familiar locations as New York and San Francisco, others find him high in the Himalayas or above the Arctic Circle. Sherlock Holmes: The Hidden Years is a must-have book for every fan who has every wondered about the untold adventures of Sherlock Holmes. - from the book jacketThe case of the lugubrious manservant / by Rhys Bowen -- Reichenbach / by Michael Kurland -- God of the naked unicorn / by Richard Lupoff -- Mr. Sigerson / by Peter Beagle -- The beast of Guangming Peak / by Michael Mallory -- Water from the moon / by Carolyn Wheat -- The adventure of the missing detective / by Gary Lovisi -- The mystery of Dr. Thorvald Sigerson / by Linda Robertson -- The bughouse caper / by Bill Pronzini -- The strange case of the voodoo priestess / by Carole Bugge -- Cross of gold / by Michael Collins.
Entering into service as housekeeper for the distinguished investigator Sherlock Holmes and his associate Dr. Watson, Mrs. Hudson expands her duties beyond keeping things tidy.
The great detective's latest client is a traveler recently returned from the Far East-and nearly killed under mysterious circumstances. He says he's under a Sumatran curse that will end his life.
While Holmes and Watson seek a less superstitious solution to the man's dilemma, Mrs. Hudson and Flottie, the orphan girl in her care, take it upon themselves to investigate the case. They are determined to solve the mystery-even if it entails pointing Mrs. Hudson's employers in the right direction. - from the book jacket
Noted science fiction and fantasy authors (including New Mexico's own Fred Saberhagen) explore the wide range of the Sherlock Holmes Universe!
Note: Somehow along the way this story collection was cataloged as "juvenile fiction."
"The Adventures of the Devil's Foot" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle / "The Problem of the Sore Bridge - Among Others" by Philip Jose Farmer, writing as Harry Manders / "The Adventure of the Global Traveler" by Anne Lear / "The Great Dormitory Mystery" by S.N. Farber / "The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound" by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson / "The Thing Waiting Outside" by Barbara Williamson / "A Father's Tale" by Sterling E. Lanier / "The Adventure of the Extraterrestrial" by Mack Reynolds / "A Scarletin Study" by Philip Jose Farmer, writing as Jonathan Swift Somers III / "Voiceover" by Edward Wellen / "The Adventure of the Metal Murderer" by Fred Saberhagen / "Slaves of the Silver" by Gene Wolfe / "God of the Naked Unicorn" by RIchard Lupoff, writing as Ova Hamlet / "Death in the Christmas Hour" by James Powell / "The Ultimate Crime" by Isaac Asimov
No, Sherlock Holmes didn't die when he and Professor Moriarty tumbled into Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls. In this latest addition to the growing list of Holmes' further adventures, we learn that, after Reichenbach, Holmes traveled to Tibet, "visiting Lhassa and spending some days with the head Lama." Tibetan author Norbu, speaking through his version of Watson, Huree Chunder Mookrejee (a character first introduced in Kipling's Kim), reports that, while he was in the Himalayas, Holmes helped assist the Thirteenth Dalai Lama assume his rightful position as the political and spiritual leader of the country in the face of unremitting interference by the Imperial Chinese occupiers. Aided by Mookrejee, Holmes helps the Lama make the epic journey that will secure his office. Although Norbu's tale sports a degree of fantasy and mysticism that Holmes undoubtedly would have abhorred, it is one of the more imaginative of the many addenda to the Conan Doyle oeuvre. Baker Street buffs will be glad to make the trip to Tibet. -- from Booklist
George NeedhamCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Sherlock Holmes Universe - "After Holmes" Fiction Series
The Baker Street Letters series by Michael Robertson.
First in a spectacular new series about two brother lawyers who lease offices on London's Baker Street--and begin receiving mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes In Los Angeles, a geological surveyor maps out a proposed subway route--and then goes missing. His eight-year-old daughter, in her desperation, turns to the one person she thinks might help--she writes a letter to Sherlock Holmes.That letter creates an uproar at 221b Baker Street, which now houses the law offices of attorney and man about town Reggie Heath and his hapless brother, Nigel. Instead of filing the letter like he's supposed to, Nigel decides to investigate. Soon he's flying off to Los Angeles, inconsiderately leaving a very dead body on the floor in his office. Big brother Reggie follows Nigel to California, as does Reggie's sometime lover, Laura---a quick-witted stage actress who's captured the hearts of both brothers.When Nigel is arrested, Reggie must use all his wits to solve a case that Sherlock Holmes would have savored and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans will adore. - from the book jacket
Hoping to recoup his losses after answering a misdirected letter to Sherlock Holmes, barrister Reggie Heath represents a limousine driver who has been accused of murdering two tourists, a case that is complicated by a letter from a descendant of Professor Moriarty.
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Fiction Series
The Irene Adler series by Carole Nelson Douglas
Sherlock Holmes referred to her as "the woman" -- one of the few people to get the better of him and the only woman to gain his attention and respect. Carole Nelson Douglas' series follows the adventures of Irene Adler (a character from the Holmes story A Scandal in Bohemia) -- opera singer, globetrotting socialite and amateur sleuth.
The series in order of release:
- Good Night Mr. Holmes (1990)
- The Adventuress (1990) aka Good Morning, Irene
- Irene at Large (1992) aka A Soul of Steel
- Another Scandal in Bohemia (1994) aka Irene's Last Waltz
- Chapel Noir (2001)
- Castle Rouge (2002)
- Femme Fatale (2003)
- Spider Dance (2004)
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Fiction Series
The Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King
Holmes purists may marvel at the idea of The Great Detective being associated with any woman, except perhaps "the woman" Irene Adler. But Laurie R. King has parlayed this idea into a popular series of books featuring Mary Russell, a brilliant woman who uses Holmes' own techniques to find him and draw him out of bee-keeping retirement and into her life.
The series in order of release:
- The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Or, On the Segregation of the Queen (1994)
- A Monstrous Regiment of Women (1995)
- A Letter of Mary (1996)
- The Moor (1998)
- O Jerusalem (1999)
- Justice Hall (2002)
- The Game (2004)
- Locked Rooms (2005)
- The Language of Bees (2009)
- The God of the Hive (2010)
- Pirate King (2011)
- Garment of Shadows (2012)
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Holmes-inspired Fiction Series
The Holmes on the Range series by Steve Hockensmith
Because 1893 is a tough year in Montana, any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they're not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper's Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes.
When the boys come across a dead body that looks a whole lot like the leftovers of an unfortunate encounter with a cattle stampede, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired deducifyin' skills. Putting his ranch work squarely on the back burner, he sets out to solve the case. Big Red, like it or not (and mostly he does not), is along for the wild ride in this clever, compelling, and completely one-of-a-kind mystery. - from the book jacket
- Holmes on the Range (2006)
- On the Wrong Track (2007)
- The Black Dove (2008)
- A Crack in the Lens (2009)
- World's Greatest Sleuth! (2011)
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Fiction Series
The Auguste Lupa series by John T. Lescroart
Would Holmes's son have his brilliant powers of observation and deduction? That is the question examined in these stories about Auguste Lupa, the rumored son of The Great Detective.
John Lescroart offers an engrossing historical mystery that takes us to a small French town in the dark days of World War I - where the rumor is that Auguste Lupa is the son of the greatest detective of all time. And his mysterious legacy may come to light as he attempts to solve the baffling murder of an intelligence agent... - from the book jacket
The series in order of release:
- Son of Holmes: A Fiction (1986)
- Rasputin's Revenge (1987)
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Arthur Conan Doyle appearing as a fictionalized character
This clever series pairs Arthur Conan Doyle with the Reverend Charles Dodgson -- better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland !
The series in order of release:
- 1. The Problem of the Missing Miss (1998)
- 2. The Problem of the Missing Hoyden (1999)
- 3. The Problem of the Spurious Spiritualist (1999) aka The Problem of the Spiteful Spiritualist
- 4. The Problem of the Evil Editor (2000)
- 5. The Problem of the Surly Servant (2001)
When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for Arthur Conan Doyle's missing diary. But after a Doylean scholar is murdered, it is Harold who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer. - from the book jacket
Sherlock Holmes Universe - Fiction Series
The Inspector Lestrade series by M.J. Trow
In Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, Holmes regularly solved cases that baffled conventional detectives. The representative of the police forces in those stories was Inspector Lestrade, a competent but-not-in-Holmes's-league investigator who sometimes brought his most puzzling cases to The Great Detective. Lestrade comes into his own in this popular series.
The series in order of release:
- The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade (1985)
- Brigade: Further Adventures of Inspector Lestrade (1986)
- Lestrade and the Hallowed House (1987)
- Lestrade and the Leviathan (1987)
- Lestrade and the Brother of Death (1988)
- Lestrade and the Ripper (1988)
- Lestrade and the Deadly Game (1990)
- Lestrade and the Guardian Angel (1990)
- Lestrade and the Gift of the Prince (1991)
- Lestrade and the Magpie (1991)
- Lestrade and the Dead Man's Hand (1992)
- Lestrade and the Sign of Nine (1992)
- Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring (1993)
- Lestrade and the Mirror of Murder (1993)
- Lestrade and the Kiss of Horus (1995)
- Lestrade and the Devil's Own (1996)
A word from your guide
It seems that every author who has ever enjoyed the Holmes stories yearns to write one themselves -- there are dozens of novels and hundreds of shorter works utilizing Doyle's settings and characters, as well as thousands of articles about Holmes's influence on modern fiction and crime detection.
Holmes and his cohort make cameo appearances in many another tale, and are often a feature of fanciful time-travel stories. Even characters in other works find inspiration in Doyle's stories, honoring Holmes as their ideal detective.
The Sherlock Holmes Universe is ever growing. This Guide will help you in your explorations of it.
Helpful Hints
Library Terms
Pastiche is a word that comes to us from Italian and French cooking, meaning "composed of paste" or "hodgepodge" and used in reference to piecrusts. In the literary world a pastiche is a work made up of elements, themes, or characters from other works, sometimes in homage and sometimes as satire - a "story pie" made with borrowed ingredients.
A recent term for pastiche, used especially in the media world, is "mashup."
Did you know? --
In most search engines, the asterisk * is a wild card. That means "all possibilities after the root term" in the search.
For example, searching light* will bring up:
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lighthouse
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lighthouses
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lightly
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lightness
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lightning
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etc.
This can be very helpful when you are not sure how a term is listed (singular or plural), or exactly how the word is spelled.
(Of course, it is possible to broaden the search too much. Searching li* will turn up many thousands of results.)
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