Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Portrait of Doyle by Herbert Rose Barraud, 1893
Professor Challenger by Harry Rountree in the novella The Poison Belt published in The Strand Magazine
Portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget, 1904
Sherlock Holmes statue in Edinburgh, erected opposite the birthplace of Doyle, which was demolished c. 1970
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.
Sherlock Holmes in a 1904 illustration by Sidney Paget
The cover page of the 1887 edition of Beeton's Christmas Annual, which contains Holmes's first appearance (A Study in Scarlet)
Holmes (right) and Watson in a Sidney Paget illustration for "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"
Holmes and archenemy Moriarty struggle at the Reichenbach Falls; drawing by Sidney Paget
