The Mind Creative March 2014
What Doyle never expected
was the startling reaction from
the readers and fans of the
detective; and the outcome
was immediate. Subscriptions
to The Strand dropped off to
record levels. Doyle went off on
another literary path but people
did not want any other style
oozing from his pen. Anyway,
he was soon in need of better
finances and the only way
forward for him was to return
to Sherlock Holmes. He started
writing
The
Hound
of
Baskervilles and in 1903 he
brought Holmes back to life
with an excuse of a “faked
death”.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This time around, Doyle delved head first into the mystery stories
and produced four novels and 56 short stories. In the end, he tried
to bring in a graceful retirement for the detective; a ploy that failed
again.
Sherlock Holmes has definitely outlived Arthur Conan Doyle. And so
has Holmes’ biographer Dr. Watson. In 1934, the Sherlock Holmes
Society and the Baker Street Irregulars were formed as societies in
London and New York respectively. These two bodies were followed
many more “Holmesians” circles in America, England, Denmark,
Australia, India and Japan. The London Metropolitan Railway named
one of its 20 locomotives after the fictional detective and in 1990
the Sherlock Holmes Museum opened in London. The enduring
popularity of Sherlock Holmes has resulted in hundreds of works
based on the character including radio plays, TV series, films and
stage adaptations.
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