The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes by Andrew Lycett

The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes
by Andrew Lycett

ISBN-13: 9780711281677
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Released: October 10, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In this 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 .


My Review:
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes 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.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.