Early Life And Family

Although not many details have been offered in these stories, but on ocassions some background and early life of Holmes is discussed. In ‘The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual’ and “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott’ Holmes early life has been depicted.

While studying in University Holmes satrted to develop his extraordinary skills and he decided to become a professional crime detective after he got inspired with an experience with his friend’s father. Not much about his family is disclosed as well, in ‘The Greek Interpreter’, Holmes tells his trusted friend that his grandmother was the sister of French artist Vernet.

Holmes also had an elder brother Mycroft Holmes who is shown to have even greater deductive skills than Sherlock Holmes. Mycroft works as a government official and is a waliking database for the policy makers. Despite having superior skills to his younger brother Mycroft’s lack of energy did not allow him to become a detective. He has appeared in person in three stories: The Greek Interpreter’, ‘The Final Problem’ and ‘The Bruce-Partington Plans’, while Homes also mentions his elder brother in ‘The Empty House’.

In ‘His Last Bow’ The date of birth of Holmes is placed somewhere around the year 1854. In ‘The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger’, it is mentioned that Holmes has been actively working as a detective for twenty three years, and only seventeen of these years are spent with his loyal friend Dr. Watson.

Personal Habits

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Dr. Watson often despised Holmes' habit of using drugs

Sherlock Holmes is depicted to be a person of unusual, irregular and often unhealthy habits. His biographer and close friend Dr. Watson states in one of the stories that Holmes has irregular habits and often his papers, chemical equipment used to be scattered in the room. He used to place his tobacco in a persian slipper, and was a regular user of cigars, cigarettes and pipes.

Holmes often concealed the truth or bent the truth, in order to protect someone’s honor and dignity. In many stories Holmes carries out illegal actions to meet a god purpose. In ‘The Adventure of Charles Milverton Augustus’, afterlong discussion both the friends agree to break in a house to get important papers.

While working on an important case, Holmes will stop himself from eating and sleeping. Dr. Watson describes Holmes as a late riser but when on an imporatnt case, Dr. Watson often woke up to find that Holmes had left earlier. Holmes showed aversion to the female sex and often he remarked that it was due to lack of trust. In all his life Holmes admired only one lady, Irene Adler in ‘ A Scandal in Bohemia’.

The Scotland Yard often asked Holmes for assistance in certain cases and Holmes often tested their patience when he did not disclose the truth till the last moment. He used to give clues and hints to the officers in particular ‘Inspector Lestrade’, who showed dislike towards Holmes. In ‘The Adventure of The Naval treaty’, holmes remarks in amusement that out of the last 53 cases Scotland Yard had taken all the credit in 49.

Holmes is mainly a reserved person and his ego is strong which made him seem arrogant. Holmes’ another special trait was his ability to change disguise which also helped him in many cases. Holmes is a strong patriot as well and in a few stories he also served the British Government.

On foggy days in London when no serious cases came to homes, Dr. watson explains that this was the most painful occasion to see Holmes indulging himself in drugs and torturing him self.

The Real 'Holmes'

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Dr. Joseph Bell, the man who inspired Sir Arthur to create Holmes

The real man behind the creation of one of the history’s most celebrated fictional character, Sherlock Holmes is Dr.Joseph Bell (1837-1911). He was a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. His father Benjamin Bell was also a forensic surgeon.

Dr. bell used to give extraordinary emphasis to careful observation while diagnosing a patient. Often he demonstrated remarkable deductive skills when revealed the occupation and recent activities of a person by merely looking at him.

Sir Arthur Conan doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, met Dr. joseph Bell in 1877 and served under him as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Conan Doyle got extremely impressed by the abilities of Dr. Bell and based Sherlock holmes on him. Doyle himself admitted that he had based the fictional character loosely upon Dr. Bell and the later was also aware of this inspiration.

Joseph Bell died on 4 October, 1911 and is buried at Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh with other family members.

Financial Affairs of Sherlock Holmes

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Sherlock Holmes digging for some papers

Sherlock Holmes mainly persued this profession just for the sake of it and not for any monetary rewards. Although, no set amount has been mentioned in any of the stories as his standard fee but he does mentions in ‘The Problem of Thor Bridge’ that his charges are fixed, when his client offers to double the fees.

It is to be remembered that the cause of the first meeting between Homles and Dr. Watson in ‘A Study In Scarlet’ was due to financial problems as both were looking for a room mate to share the rent expenses. But Dr. Watson mentions in ‘The Adventure of the Dying Detective’, that the amount Holmes paid to acquire an apartment in Baker Street, was enough to actually buy it.

Holmes throughout his career serves for many famous and influential personalities and families who alos in return rewarded him, sometimes much more than his standard fee. In ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’ Holmes mentions that his services to the French government had earned him enough to live a comfortable life.

Dr. Watson states about Holmes in ‘The Adventure of the Black Peter’ that it was Holmes norm to refuse trivial cases from wealthy clients while he often devoted himself to cases in which he had no hopes for any reward. But he does ask his clients to recompense the cost which he had to bear during investigation in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, ‘The Red-headed League’ and ‘The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet’.

Despite Holmes aversion for rewards, he rather takes his old friend Dr. Watson by surprise when he ‘rubs his hands in glee’ and pats the cheque from the Duke of Holdernesses, saying ‘I am a poor man’. But this incident can be taken as Holmes’ habit of creating ironic humor.

Among the many expensive momentos that he received from his many illustrious clients a golden snuff box from the King of Bohemia, a ring from the Dutch Royal family, an emerald tie-pin from Queen Victoria and a gold soverign from Irene Adler stand out. Holmes also received the Legion of Honor and a letter of thanks from the French premiere for catching a dangerous criminal.

The Strand Magazine

The Strand Magazine was a monthly fiction magazine founded by George Newnes and remained in publication from January 1890 to March 1950. From the very beginning this magazine asumed great popularity as the early sales went to 300,000 issues. Up till 1930s its circulation had reached upto 500,000 issues. In total The Strand Magazine went upto 711 issues in the sixty years of its life span.

The stories featuring Sherlock Holmes were first published in the Strand Magazine along with illustrations by Sidney Pagot. Soon the popularity of the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes brought many fans and enthusiast readers to the magazine office in search for the next latest issue. Along with the publication of many other fictional stories, The Strand Magazine was also popular for a column named, ‘The Perplexities’ which featured puzzles and brain teasers.

With a change in format in the early 1940s, The Strand Magazine owing to increasing cost and lesser circulation, stopped its publication in 1950. But The Strand Magazine returned in 2000 to pubish works of several famous fiction writers.

Short Biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Ignatus Conan Doyle was born on 22 May, 1859 in Edinburgh in Scotland. His father Charles Altamont Doyle, was an alcoholic and failed to make any remarkable achievement in life other than fathering a brilliant son.

From 1876 to 1881, Sir Arthur studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Along the way he started his hobby of writing short fictional stories. His first story was published when he was not even 20 in the Chambers’ Edinburgh Journal. After completing his studies in the University, he served as a doctor on a naval voyage to Africa.

Afterwards Sir Arthur started his independent medical practice when he arrived in Portsmouth. He got visited by very few patients and had little to do all day therefore, he resumed his hobby of writing stories. His first notable work was ‘A Study In Scarlet’ which featured detective Sherlock Holmes for the very first time. It was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. In his time in Portsmouth he also spent time in sports playing cricket, football and golf with friends. Sir Arthur even played in 10 first class cricket matches, his highest score being 43 and also took one wicket.

Conan Doyle had two wives and a total of five children. His first wife Louisa Hawkins suffered from tuberculosis and died. Afterwards he married Jean Elizebeth Leckie whom he had loved many years before. In 1890, he went to Vienna to complete medical studies and started practice as an opthalmologist in London in 1891. In his own biography he reveals that he received very few patients and had decided to kill Holmes in order to consentrate on his practice.

In order to end this series in ‘The Final Problem’ he depicted the events in which Holmes and his enemy Professor Moriarty both die after plunging in a waterfall. But after outcry from fans he resumed the stories and explained in ‘The Adventure of the Empty House’ how Holmes wanted to be temporarily dead in order to defeat his other enemies. Eventually, the fictional detective appeared in 56 short stories and many long novels.

During his life Conan Doyle also authored many other novels and poems. He was also believed to be an intimate friend of world renowned magician Harry Houdini and had special interest in spiritualism. Conan Doyle also spent some time in india and America and these locations also feature in some of his short stories and novels.

On 7 July, 1930 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died due to heart attack and lies buried in New Forest, Hampshire. In remembrance of this great fiction writer a statue stands in Crowborough, East Sussex where he spent 23 years of his life.

Sidney Paget - The man who drew Holmes!

The features of Sherlock Holmes as described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are very peculiar and extraordinary. And the person who drew Sherlock Holmes with quite a brilliant resemblance to the described features was Sidney Paget. Sidney Edward Paget, born in London on 4th October, 1860 was a British illustrator hailing from the Victorian era.

Paget is renowned for his illustrations of the legendary character of Holmes which were published alongside the stories in the Strand Magazine. He was initially hired to illustarte Holmes in ‘the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, when they accidentlly sent the letter of commission to him rather than his younger brother, Walter Paget.

It has also been a common misconception that Sidney Paget based the looks of Sherlock Holmes upon his younger brother Walter, but Sidney outrightly dismissed this notion. Later Sidney also made illustartions in ‘the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’. Sir Arthur especially requested Sidney Paget to illustrate Holmes in the novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

As the series started gaining popularity, his illustrations became larger and contained more and more details. It was Paget who first gave Holmes the gift of a deerstalker cap and an iverness cape, which were no where mentioned in the writings of Doyle. The deerstalker cap and coat were first illustarted by him in ‘The Boscombe vally Mystery’. Paget drew the illustartaions in black and white which gave a darker and shadowy look to the stories. All in all, Sidney Paget illustarted Sherlock Holmes in 37 short stories and 1 long novel with about 356 published drawings for the whole series.

All other illustartors also realized that whenever sketching Holmes, they had to follow the guidelines drawn by Paget. A complete set of Sidney Paget illustrations of Sherlock Holmes is considered to be priceless collectible item. The 10.5 x 6.75 inch original drawing of Holmes and Moriarty at the edge of Reichecbach Falls in the ‘Final Problem’, was sold for $220,800 on 16th November, 2004 in New York by Sotherby’s.

The illustrations of Sherlock Holmes made by Sidney Paget have been the most popular and accurate depictions of the great detective, and any new picture of Holmes deviating from the features made by Paget, is never accepted by Holmes’ enthusiasts.