Posted on October 07, 2009 by Nayab Naseer

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous fictional characters of the world. The invention of the author cum physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the character belongs to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain, first appearing in a short story “A Study in Scarlet” that appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. Doyle developed Sherlock Holmes as a brilliant London-based consulting detective, renowned for his intellectual prowess, astute observation, deductive reasoning and forensic skills to solve difficult cases. The character of Sherlock Homes grew immensely popular within a short span of time.

Doyle adopts a unique literary style when dealing with Sherlock Holmes stories. All the stories, except four are narrated by Holmes’s friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. In two other stories, “The Musgrave Ritual” and “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott”, Holmes tells Watson the main story from his memories.

The character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell, Sir Conan Doyle’s employer at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.