Today in History: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Is Published
Why were magazines and newspapers so instrumental in the publication of detective stories? Does the book format elevate popular reading? What educational methods can we adapt from sleuthing? How does our work in libraries fit in? Ever consider the relevance of Sherlock Holmes on Halloween? Care to investigate the paranormal at Teachers College?
On October 31, 1892, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle was published in book form in London by George Newnes after appearing as installments in The Strand Magazine and other popular magazines. Doyle was a Scotsman who studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh where he met Dr. Joseph Bell, inspiration for the greatest fictional detective of all time. Sherlock Holmes, a “consulting detective”, is famed to this day for his powers of observation and logical reasoning, as well as his knowledge of forensic science. He is widely adapted into stage and radio plays, television, films, video games, and other media — prompting us to explore the news of the 1892 book publication.
The following articles are selected from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.
- Good Detective Stories. (1892, Oct 16). San Francisco Chronicle (1869-Current File
- Young, F. (1914, Sep 06). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sun (1837-1991)
- How I Came to Invent Sherlock Holmes. (1918, Sep 29). San Francisco Chronicle (1869-Current File)
- Sherlock Holmes. (1927, Jul 11). The Scotsman (1921-1950)
- Bell, R. (1934, Jun 10). Books of the Day: The Great Sherlock: A Myth Come to Life. The Observer (1901- 2003)
- Faolain, S. O. (1943, Mar 20). The Immortal Holmes. The Irish Times (1921-Current File)
- Paper Back Talk. (1975, Oct 26). New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Leech, M. (1978, Sep 23). Sherlock Holmes Was Fictional–Wasn’t He? Chicago Tribune (1963-Current File)
- Pointer, M. (1974, Nov 10). Holmes (Hooray!) Will Foil Moriarty (Hiss!) Once Again! New York Times (1923-Current File)
- Rosenblatt, A. (1983, May 06). Elegant, Elucidating and Anything But Elementary. The Hartford Courant (1923-1991)
- Asimov, I. (1984, Sep 02). Why I Love Sherlock Holmes. Newsday (1940-1988)
- McAleer, J. (1993, Nov 07). The Immortal Mr. Holmes: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective Gets His Due. Chicago Tribune (1963-Current File)
- Battersby, E. (2012, Sep 22). From Here to Therre: Arthur Conan Doyle and Hugh Laurie. The Irish Times (1921-Current File)
- Before Sherlock Holmes: How Magazines and Newspapers Invented the Detective Story, by LeRoy Panek (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011)
- Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, by Maria Konnikova (New York: Viking Adult, 2013).
- The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes, by Philip Tallon and David Baggett (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 2012)
- Murder in the Stacks (Library Preservation). Starring Daniel Chapman, as Detective Sherlock Holmes, and David Bowman, as Dr. Watson. New York: Center for Biomedical Communications, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1987.
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