Holmes, << hohmz or hohlmz, >> Sherlock, is the most famous detective in fiction. He was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an English author, and appears in 56 short stories and 4 novels.
Holmes is known for his ability to solve baffling crimes through clever observation and logical deduction. He draws amazing conclusions from minute details. Holmes’s remarkable powers of concentration and his broad knowledge of science also help him solve many mysteries.
Holmes is assisted by his friend Dr. John Watson, who records most of Holmes’s cases. The two men live in London at 221B Baker Street. Doyle described their quarters so realistically that many readers have visited Baker Street in order to search for the fictional address.
Holmes is a tall, thin man with a lean, narrow face. He is often pictured wearing a close-fitting cap and smoking a pipe. Holmes has many interests besides detective work. For example, he is an accomplished violinist and an expert on beekeeping.
Doyle introduced Holmes in the novel A Study in Scarlet (1887). He modeled him partly after Joseph Bell, a Scottish physician known for making brilliant diagnoses through observation. A scholarly edition of all the Holmes novels and short stories was published in three volumes as The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes (2005).
