The Real World of Sherlock

Ever wondered where Arthur Conan Doyle got his inspiration for the famous literary sleuth? Holmes is a man known for his eccentricities – his reclusiveness and aura of genius have become trademarks today, and are recognisable in any Holmes adaptation. This book reveals the men who inspired that iconic persona, and also takes a fascinating look at crime and detection in nineteenth-century London. Was there a real ‘Study in Scarlet’? Who developed the methods of forensic detection that remain in use today? And how did Victorian police detectives solve crimes without the aid of modern technology?An ideal book for any Sherlock fan, The Real World of Sherlock explores the world that the stories emerged from and the inspirations behind the character himself. You’ll be astonished at just how real Sherlock was!

Professor B. J. Rahn teaches English Literature at Hunter College in New York. She has been teaching, researching, and writing about crime fiction for over two decades. She has published articles in journals and reference books such as The Armchair Detective, The Dictionary of Literary Biography and the Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing. She also leads detective walking tours in the UK, which visit sites in the lives and fiction of authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and Margery Allingham.