Jack Goldstein - 101 Amazing Sherlock Holmes Facts

Title Page

101 AMAZING SHERLOCK HOLMES FACTS

Jack Goldstein & Jimmy Russell

Publisher Information

Published in 2013 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

The rights of Jack Goldstein and Jimmy Russell to be identified as the authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998

Copyright 2013 Jack Goldstein & Jimmy Russell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Disclaimer: All facts presented in this title were gained from common and reputable sources in print and on the internet. If any detail within this title is found to be incorrect, the author will be happy to publish a corrected version.

Introduction

Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes? Do you want to know some incredible trivia about the worlds greatest detective? Whether it is Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBCs Sherlock that you enjoy, or Robert Downey Juniors portrayal in the film series that piques your interest, this fantastic book of facts from Jack Goldstein and Jimmy Russell is sure to be an excellent addition to your bookshelf. With sections covering adaptations of the stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and of course the most amazing and unbelievable facts, this is the perfect way to find out more about the best-selling hero.

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General - Part 1

1. The character of Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with his first published appearance in 1887 - in Beetons Christmas Annual .
2. Holmes was inspired by Edgar Allen Poes Inspector Dupin, but his quirks and use of the scientific method were based on real-life Dr. Joseph Bell, Doyles professor at the University of Edinburgh.
3. Interestingly, fast food chain Taco Bell was founded by a descendent of this professor!
4. The stories were most widely published in magazine The Strand , which ran them for over forty years!
5. Renderings of Sherlock Holmes have appeared on stamps in countries as widespread as the UK, South Africa, San Marino and Nicaragua.
6. The name Sherlock means blonde, however Arthur Conan Doyle describes all the main characters as having dark hair.
7. Over 250 movies have been made featuring Sherlock Holmes as a main character, with 70 different actors playing the great man!
8. After a while, Doyle got sick of Sherlock Holmes and wanted to write other stories. However, after there was public outcry (and even demonstrations in the street), he reluctantly brought the character back to life.
9. Conan Doyle never mentions the Deerstalker cap or Inverness cape in any story; these were in fact interpreted by Sidney Paget when illustrating the novels.
10. Despite how we imagine Holmes today, his distinctive Meerschaum pipe never had a curved stem in the original illustrations.

Top 10 Adaptations

Here are the best ten adaptations of Sherlock Holmes throughout history as voted for by a panel of experts.

1. Sherlock (BBC) - 2010 onwards: starring Benedict Cumberbatch
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Granada) - 1984-1994: starring Jeremy Brett
3. Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie Films) - 2009 onwards: starring Robert Downey Junior
4. Sherlock Holmes (20th Century Fox/Universal) - 1939-1946: starring Basil Rathbone
5. Elementary (CBS) - 2012 onwards: starring Jonny Lee Miller
6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (BBC Radio 4) - 1989-1998: starring Clive Merrison
7. The Immortal Sherlock Holmes (Mercury Theater on the Air) - 1938: starring Orson Welles
8. Sir Arthur Conan-Doyles Sherlock Holmes (BBC) - 1968: starring Peter Cushing
9. The Hound Of The Baskervilles (BBC) - 1982: starring Tom Baker
10. Young Sherlock Holmes (Steven Spielberg) - 1985: starring Nicholas Rowe

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor who began to write fiction during study breaks when he was at Edinburgh University.
2. He even had a stint as a ships doctor on a voyage to West Africa after graduating.
3. Doyle was a great sportsman. He played in goal for Portsmouth Football Club under the pseudonym of A.C. Smith, and even played ten first-class matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club!
4. Sir Arthur absolutely believed in fairies. In 1917, two sisters perpetrated a hoax known as the Cottingley fairies . In 1921, Doyle published a book called The Coming of the Fairies in which he discussed the nature and existence of fairies, and included the girls photographs. It is worth noting however that even to the end of their lives, the two sisters insisted that there were fairies in their garden, even though the photographs were fakes.
5. Doyle also believed that he could contact the dead with the help of a spiritualist medium.
6. Arthur was initially friends with escapologist Harry Houdini.
7. However the friendship soured after Conan Doyle insisted Houdini had magical powers. This was even after he had demonstrated to him that all his feats had real-world explanations.
8. Doyle twice ran for a seat in parliament. He failed both times.
9. We must not forget that Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor first and an author second. He decided to specialize in ophthalmology, and set up an eye clinic in London. Not one patient ever visited the clinic.
10. He was knighted by King Edward VII in 1902 - but not for his services to fiction. It was for his propaganda regarding the Boer War!

Best Original Stories

Here are the best stories from the canon written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as voted for by a panel of experts.

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles
2. The Speckled Band
3. The Sign of the Four
4. A Study in Scarlet
5. The Red-headed League
6. The Valley of Fear
7. A Scandal in Bohemia
8. The Blue Carbuncle
9. Silver Blaze
10. The Empty House

Sherlock Himself

1. Sherlock owns (and plays to a very high standard) a Stradivarius Violin.
2. The famous phrase Elementary my dear Watson is never spoken by Holmes in the original books! The first known occurrence of it is in fact in the P.G. Wodehouse novel Psmith, Journalist.
3. Holmes does however say the other most famous phrase which is when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
4. Just like his creator, Sherlock believes in fairies, ghosts and Spiritualism.
5. Sherlock has a brother called Mycroft, said to be more intelligent than him - but much fatter and lazier!
6. Holmes trained as a bare-knuckle boxer - Watson once refers to him as the finest of his weight. This helps him beat his opponents when it comes to a punch-up.
7. Recreational drugs (that are illegal now but werent then) were popular during the time the stories were written - hence Holmes being partial to a bit of morphine and cocaine!
8. Holmes is a master of disguise and even fooled Watson once whilst going incognito as a stooped old man.
9. Holmes lived at 221b Baker Street London (now in NW1 6XE).
10. Sherlock never acquired a degree, despite spending long periods of time at university studying a range of subjects.

Unusual Adaptations

Here are the ten strangest adaptations of Sherlock Holmes as voted for by a panel of experts.

1. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - an FMV Video game which you only need to see it to understand how awful it is.