Sherlock 101 – Ten Things I Learned about the Great Detective

By Shari Randall

Bookmark compliments of D. Mancini

A dusty copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes I found in a bookstore last week got me thinking – what did I know about one of the most influential fictional characters in literature?

So last week I took a class in my community education program, The World of Sherlock Holmes. The course catalog read, “In this class you will learn all about Sherlock Holmes, from the original stories, to the TV and cinema adaptations, to the hundreds of societies in the United States and around the world.”

The instructor, Danna Mancini, a distinguished Sherlockian, is a member of several scions and has written and presented his own scholarly work on the Great Detective. Over three fast-moving hours the class discussed scions, pastiches, film and television portrayals, long lost films, ACD (how those in the know refer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and the stories’ influence on forensic science.

 The time flew by.

Here are only a few of the fascinating things I learned:

ACD’s 56 short stories and four novels are known as the "canon" by Holmes aficionados.

Many critics have named these stories the “best of” the canon: A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Final Problem, The Adventure of the Empty House, and The Adventure of the Dancing Man. As they say, your mileage may vary.

The last paragraphs of ACD’s book, His Last Bow, are seen as a premonition of World War II.

What is the Great Game? The game posits that Holmes and Watson were real people, Watson wrote the adventures, and ACD was his "literary agent." To which Sherlockians would say, of course!

In 1934, the Sherlock Holmes Society (London) and the Baker Street Irregulars (New York) were founded. Both are still active, although the Sherlock Holmes Society was dissolved in 1937 and revived in 1951. For information on BSI you can follow this link: https://bakerstreetirregulars.com

What’s a scion? The societies founded in 1934 were followed by many more, first in the U.S. (where they are known as "scion societies"—offshoots—of the Baker Street Irregulars) and then in England. There are at least 250 societies around the world and they take their names from characters and elements of the stories. A scion in Connecticut, for example, is called The Men On The Tor (from Hound of the Baskervilles). Rhode Island hosts the wonderfully named Cornish Horrors in Providence. 

Fans tend to be called "Holmesians" in Britain and "Sherlockians" in the United States, though recently "Sherlockian" has come to refer to fans of the BBC show starring Benedict Cumberbach.

Only Dracula has a higher number of screen appearances than Sherlock, 409 to 292.

Those who wish to see “what’s up” in the world of Sherlock Holmes can check out www.sherlockiancalendar.com.

The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes at the Liberty Science Center of New Jersey opens in November. The exhibit focuses on the technology and forensic science of the stories, proving the enduring fascination and influence of ACD’s creation - excuse me, the great detective.

Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series.