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The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes: The Inspiration Behind the World's Greatest Detective
Questing was Sherlock Holmes’s business. He famously adopted the latest forensic techniques , channelled the Victorian passion for enquiry , kept abreast of the key scientific breakthroughs of his age , and conducted his investigations in an enigmatic and stylised manner. And the brains behind it all was, of course, the great Arthur Conan Doyle .
In this deep dive into the contemporary world of Holmes and Conan Doyle, biographer Andrew Lycett explores all that encompasses the world of the great detective – tracing the infamous character’s own interests, personality and mythologised biography alongside that of his creator’s.
From the Victorian crazes for detection and séance, to contemporary developments in science and psychology, Lycett weaves together everything that inspired Conan Doyle in creating the world’s most famous detective and one of fiction's most enduring, enigmatic and recognisable characters .
In this deep dive into the contemporary world of Holmes and Conan Doyle, biographer Andrew Lycett explores all that encompasses the world of the great detective – tracing the infamous character’s own interests, personality and mythologised biography alongside that of his creator’s.
From the Victorian crazes for detection and séance, to contemporary developments in science and psychology, Lycett weaves together everything that inspired Conan Doyle in creating the world’s most famous detective and one of fiction's most enduring, enigmatic and recognisable characters .
208 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 16, 2025
Author Andrew Lycett explores the life of Sherlock Holmes & his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, in this excellent book. Lycett delves into a wealth of fascinating facts from the original stories to theatre, film & television adaptations & much more.
There are plenty of excellent illustrations throughout this volume & it's a very welcome addition to my collection of books on the great detective.
Lycett's 1995 book on the life of James Bond creator Ian Fleming is also welll worth reading.
There are plenty of excellent illustrations throughout this volume & it's a very welcome addition to my collection of books on the great detective.
Lycett's 1995 book on the life of James Bond creator Ian Fleming is also welll worth reading.
October 8, 2023
An excellent overview of the world of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. Interesting and informative.
September 29, 2023
A fairly comprehensive guide about the character, his universe, his author, and some behind-the-scenes details that will delight enthusiasts. The book is in-depth, comprehensive, well-researched, and illustrated. It covers various aspects of the author and the character, providing numerous references that fans will be eager to delve into. A must-have!
November 10, 2024
Excellent backdrop to the Sherlock Holmes’s stories. Very informative with some lovely illustrations. Would be perfect for any Holmes’s fan.
September 22, 2023
"He represents his times." And thus we delve into the world of Sherlock Holmes, and see where he went, what he thought, how he might have – or might not have – reflected his times, and then launch into looking at what cinema and the stage have done to his persona. This could be essential for Holmesians (if that's even the word), and could be frustrating for an average browser.
Me? I'm somewhere in the middle, having had gainful employment performing as the man (alright, most flippantly) but not having read at least three of the novels. I certainly know some things about him, and know that knowledge of the canon is not that common – I almost got scoffed off stage for ad libbing about Watson having been in Afghanistan (I guess too many people thought I thought he fought the Taliban).
The thing is this seems to be a book destined for the general market, the averagely interested – there is not a double-page spread without some form of illustration to break the passage of text up. We start with the world, meaning the geographical path of ACD and a lot of where Holmes went, and how he might well have had The Knowledge so easily does he picture the London streets. Next is an awkward (ie much less interesting) chapter about politics – the international relations Doyle sought to encourage or discourage, and what Holmes may have thought – it's noted a lot of his subsidiary characters are from the land of made men, the USA, and an unexpected amount of times he just lets a rum 'un walk.
That said, one benefit of this is not in honour of the current author, but Conan Doyle. I think you forget, reading a bunch of short stories over a century 'late', how current these tales may have been, and this book shows very modern affairs and ideas and connections between countries – at least in the background. If you read the shorts nowadays you don't pay attention to what year The Strand published them, and know less about the current affairs of the time – affairs so current they would not have been out of wannabe-MP ACD's mind.
Also current was scientific development, and so we get a good look at Holmes' scientific grounding, and how that was changing as the stories were published. The world Doyle was born into was very different to the one he left – and not only because his first published work was a scientific paper based on his research into his own ingesting of drugs, as the next chapter, on forensics and scientific detection, tells us.
What this proves to be is an amalgam of writing about Holmes (the music he played and art he references in his investigations) and ACD – the music he did so seldom play, and the art his family produced before his fame. Both men's relationship to sport is a small chapter. There are also forays into Holmes on screen, which must have been written out many times before, so common are the 'official' versions as well as the many others, and a look at spin-offs, fanfic and the like.
So all in all a reasonable success – I can see people who know the name, and may remember a few of the people who were filmed as him, thinking this is too much about too little, and some people who see all of this as just regurgitating what has long been known. And the ground between those extremes might be a lot smaller than the creators of this hope – while Holmes is surely one of a few characters about whose context we would wish to read a whole book, even then that 'we' can't be a large number. It certainly does have a bearing on the stories and novels, how cinema was developing but never mentioned, how microscopes were in the canon a whole two times, and how Doyle wrote a classical music bent into his man without really having one himself. But to call that essential to the regular, Average Jo browser, is a bit much. Hence three and a half stars – although some will think that miserly in the extreme.
Me? I'm somewhere in the middle, having had gainful employment performing as the man (alright, most flippantly) but not having read at least three of the novels. I certainly know some things about him, and know that knowledge of the canon is not that common – I almost got scoffed off stage for ad libbing about Watson having been in Afghanistan (I guess too many people thought I thought he fought the Taliban).
The thing is this seems to be a book destined for the general market, the averagely interested – there is not a double-page spread without some form of illustration to break the passage of text up. We start with the world, meaning the geographical path of ACD and a lot of where Holmes went, and how he might well have had The Knowledge so easily does he picture the London streets. Next is an awkward (ie much less interesting) chapter about politics – the international relations Doyle sought to encourage or discourage, and what Holmes may have thought – it's noted a lot of his subsidiary characters are from the land of made men, the USA, and an unexpected amount of times he just lets a rum 'un walk.
That said, one benefit of this is not in honour of the current author, but Conan Doyle. I think you forget, reading a bunch of short stories over a century 'late', how current these tales may have been, and this book shows very modern affairs and ideas and connections between countries – at least in the background. If you read the shorts nowadays you don't pay attention to what year The Strand published them, and know less about the current affairs of the time – affairs so current they would not have been out of wannabe-MP ACD's mind.
Also current was scientific development, and so we get a good look at Holmes' scientific grounding, and how that was changing as the stories were published. The world Doyle was born into was very different to the one he left – and not only because his first published work was a scientific paper based on his research into his own ingesting of drugs, as the next chapter, on forensics and scientific detection, tells us.
What this proves to be is an amalgam of writing about Holmes (the music he played and art he references in his investigations) and ACD – the music he did so seldom play, and the art his family produced before his fame. Both men's relationship to sport is a small chapter. There are also forays into Holmes on screen, which must have been written out many times before, so common are the 'official' versions as well as the many others, and a look at spin-offs, fanfic and the like.
So all in all a reasonable success – I can see people who know the name, and may remember a few of the people who were filmed as him, thinking this is too much about too little, and some people who see all of this as just regurgitating what has long been known. And the ground between those extremes might be a lot smaller than the creators of this hope – while Holmes is surely one of a few characters about whose context we would wish to read a whole book, even then that 'we' can't be a large number. It certainly does have a bearing on the stories and novels, how cinema was developing but never mentioned, how microscopes were in the canon a whole two times, and how Doyle wrote a classical music bent into his man without really having one himself. But to call that essential to the regular, Average Jo browser, is a bit much. Hence three and a half stars – although some will think that miserly in the extreme.
November 4, 2023
This is a biography of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, broken down by topic. The author started by covering the physical locations mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories, with a few details about and sometimes a picture of the real places. He also used illustrations taken from the stories. There were many quotes from the Holmes stories, so we often got more of what was in the book than new information about the place. We also got a bit about where Conan Doyle traveled during his life.
The next section focused on politics: mostly Doyle's views on current political issues during his life, but also how they were reflected in Holmes' views in the stories. The next section focused on science, starting with Darwin (evolution) and how that impacted Doyle's (and therefore Sherlock Holmes') views. The author also covered Holmes' scientific views and knowledge, as shown in the stories. Again, the focus seemed more on summarizing what the stories said about Holmes than comparing it to the real world forensics. The author also talked about Doyle's medical training and people that influenced his scientific views, some technological advances embraced by Doyle that weren't really mentioned in the stories, and Doyle's interest in the paranormal.
Next was about how crime was actually handled in the 1800s in England (as in, the founding of the police force and then the detective force), the emergence of crime fiction, Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and how he solved crimes, and how he inspired future crime fiction. Then the author covered how Holmes has been portrayed in films and plays. Next was about how The Strand Magazine (which published the Holmes stories) came into being and how the stories were later published as various types of books as literacy increased and printing costs decreased. The next section was about the art and music of the time period, especially that mentioned in the Holmes stories and a bit about Doyle's artistic relatives. Then he covered sports, especially those engaged in by Holmes or Doyle. The final section was about the enduring interest people have had in Holmes. I guess I expected more of a historical background for the stories than a biography of a fictional character and his author.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
The next section focused on politics: mostly Doyle's views on current political issues during his life, but also how they were reflected in Holmes' views in the stories. The next section focused on science, starting with Darwin (evolution) and how that impacted Doyle's (and therefore Sherlock Holmes') views. The author also covered Holmes' scientific views and knowledge, as shown in the stories. Again, the focus seemed more on summarizing what the stories said about Holmes than comparing it to the real world forensics. The author also talked about Doyle's medical training and people that influenced his scientific views, some technological advances embraced by Doyle that weren't really mentioned in the stories, and Doyle's interest in the paranormal.
Next was about how crime was actually handled in the 1800s in England (as in, the founding of the police force and then the detective force), the emergence of crime fiction, Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and how he solved crimes, and how he inspired future crime fiction. Then the author covered how Holmes has been portrayed in films and plays. Next was about how The Strand Magazine (which published the Holmes stories) came into being and how the stories were later published as various types of books as literacy increased and printing costs decreased. The next section was about the art and music of the time period, especially that mentioned in the Holmes stories and a bit about Doyle's artistic relatives. Then he covered sports, especially those engaged in by Holmes or Doyle. The final section was about the enduring interest people have had in Holmes. I guess I expected more of a historical background for the stories than a biography of a fictional character and his author.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
November 10, 2023
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lycett examines the character from the perspective of his times, which of course was Doyle's times as well.
To put it in terms similar to Lycett's, this looks at how Holmes is a reflection of that period, but a reflection specifically through the eyes (pen?) of Doyle. That isn't to say that Holmes is a stand-in for Doyle, but that there is simply no singular perspective on any period of history, so understanding the person through which we are given our glimpse is essential. This isn't, however, a biography of Doyle but rather focuses on the major strands of thought and belief of the time.
This is an excellent companion for someone working their way through the stories and would be ideal for someone considering revisiting them. In fact, this has made me want to reread some of them. It also sheds some interesting light on TV and film representations. The reader can consider what liberties were taken to make the character more likely to be embraced by viewers at various times.
As a bit of an aside, I think this could be a useful read for a writer who is thinking about creating a character that would reflect our current times. How did Doyle create a character who could both embody much of the time yet also question, explicitly or implicitly, some of the ideals? This book doesn't necessarily answer that question, but it does offer some examples that a writer could apply to their own work.
I would definitely recommend this to those in the, as Lycett calls it, Sherlockian world. Even a casual reader (or viewer) of the Holmes stories will enjoy seeing how the character is a product of not just a fertile mind but of the time as well.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
To put it in terms similar to Lycett's, this looks at how Holmes is a reflection of that period, but a reflection specifically through the eyes (pen?) of Doyle. That isn't to say that Holmes is a stand-in for Doyle, but that there is simply no singular perspective on any period of history, so understanding the person through which we are given our glimpse is essential. This isn't, however, a biography of Doyle but rather focuses on the major strands of thought and belief of the time.
This is an excellent companion for someone working their way through the stories and would be ideal for someone considering revisiting them. In fact, this has made me want to reread some of them. It also sheds some interesting light on TV and film representations. The reader can consider what liberties were taken to make the character more likely to be embraced by viewers at various times.
As a bit of an aside, I think this could be a useful read for a writer who is thinking about creating a character that would reflect our current times. How did Doyle create a character who could both embody much of the time yet also question, explicitly or implicitly, some of the ideals? This book doesn't necessarily answer that question, but it does offer some examples that a writer could apply to their own work.
I would definitely recommend this to those in the, as Lycett calls it, Sherlockian world. Even a casual reader (or viewer) of the Holmes stories will enjoy seeing how the character is a product of not just a fertile mind but of the time as well.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
June 30, 2025
Obviously a person of my generation would have read at least some Sherlock Holmes stories, and that's the case with me. I think, though, that I may have discovered Agatha Christie first, and the Holmes stories don't compare favourably. They are a bit old style, obviously as Christie clearly got a number of her ideas from the Holmes stories.
This book is full of information about publication of stories in the late 19th century. Readers can learn how the author's knowledge and interests impact the character of Holmes. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is examined with a microscope. I was less keen on the movies section, as I have little interest in seeing any of the modern film releases.
From my point of view, Holmes was a character of his time, and trying to bring him into the modern world is useless. There is just too much information available now about forensic techniques.
This is just my opinion and not a criticism of the book, which is well researched, well laid out and contains many interesting photos and drawings.
The only markdown I have is that the font is too small. I recommend this book for fans of Sherlock Holmes, and award the rating of 4.5.
This book is full of information about publication of stories in the late 19th century. Readers can learn how the author's knowledge and interests impact the character of Holmes. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is examined with a microscope. I was less keen on the movies section, as I have little interest in seeing any of the modern film releases.
From my point of view, Holmes was a character of his time, and trying to bring him into the modern world is useless. There is just too much information available now about forensic techniques.
This is just my opinion and not a criticism of the book, which is well researched, well laid out and contains many interesting photos and drawings.
The only markdown I have is that the font is too small. I recommend this book for fans of Sherlock Holmes, and award the rating of 4.5.
October 10, 2023
"The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes" by Andrew Lycett is a captivating book that explores the fascinating universe of Sherlock Holmes and his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle. It delves into the Victorian and early 20th-century backdrop, where Sherlock Holmes became a renowned figure. Lycett uncovers the origins of Holmes' character and the intriguing influences on Conan Doyle. This book provides an accessible glimpse into the world of that era, marked by an interest in solving mysteries and exploring the paranormal. Lycett's writing is engaging and approachable, making it an ideal read for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts and those curious about the mind behind this iconic detective.
September 6, 2023
I enjoyed the historical perspective of the Sherlock Holmes universe and the way that the author structured this book to focus on the different “worlds” of Sherlock, namely the aspects of the Sherlock Holmes universe that were impacted and impactful to the real world. The illustrations and photos included in the book were delightful and the book was really well researched. A great book for all Sherlock Holmes and history fans alike. 4.5/5 stars.
January 24, 2024
Well worth the read if you're a Holmes/Conan Doyle fan, though I frequently wished for more in-depth exploration and explanation. There are times when it feels like a mere compendium of facts, and would have benefited from fleshing out certain elements or relegating others to footnotes. That said, it is incredibly well-researched and I learned a lot!
January 13, 2025
A read worthy of adorning the home of every serious fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous Sherlock Holmes!
November 5, 2023
Si sos fan de Sherlock Holmes este libro es un SI, TENES QUE LEERLO.
The World of Sherlock Holmes nos cuenta todo lo que hay detrás de uno de los detectives más famosos de todos los tiempos (aún hoy en el 2023) y cómo fueron sus adaptaciones tanto en obra de teatro, televisión, cine y también el mundo detrás de esto, los fans, los fanfics. Y es algo increíbleporque se nota que Andrew Lycett SABE MUCHÍSIMO.
Poder conocer más sobre un personaje que amo hace muchos años me encantó!
Con imágenes, ilustraciones, con pequeños fragmentos de la vida real que nos transportan en un ida y vuelta entre lo real y lo ficticio, este libro logra hacernos adentrar en lo que es Sherlock Holmes.
Durante todo el transcurso del libro podemos ver las diferentes obras en Doyle presentó a este interesante y muy excéntrico detective con ejemplos de cómo se comportaba, lo que decía y otras cosas.
Creo que este libro es un MUST en las bibliotecas de todo fanático de Holmes y de Doyle, sería genial que se traduzca al español porque tendría mucho potencial. ¡Lo sé!
Gracias Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion por el ARC que leí en NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
The World of Sherlock Holmes nos cuenta todo lo que hay detrás de uno de los detectives más famosos de todos los tiempos (aún hoy en el 2023) y cómo fueron sus adaptaciones tanto en obra de teatro, televisión, cine y también el mundo detrás de esto, los fans, los fanfics. Y es algo increíbleporque se nota que Andrew Lycett SABE MUCHÍSIMO.
Poder conocer más sobre un personaje que amo hace muchos años me encantó!
Con imágenes, ilustraciones, con pequeños fragmentos de la vida real que nos transportan en un ida y vuelta entre lo real y lo ficticio, este libro logra hacernos adentrar en lo que es Sherlock Holmes.
Durante todo el transcurso del libro podemos ver las diferentes obras en Doyle presentó a este interesante y muy excéntrico detective con ejemplos de cómo se comportaba, lo que decía y otras cosas.
Creo que este libro es un MUST en las bibliotecas de todo fanático de Holmes y de Doyle, sería genial que se traduzca al español porque tendría mucho potencial. ¡Lo sé!
Gracias Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion por el ARC que leí en NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews