1.    How many short stories did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle write featuring Sherlock Holmes?

2.    How many novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featured Sherlock Holmes?

3.    The character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by a real life person. Who was it?

4.    When did the first short story publish featuring Sherlock Holmes, and what was the name of this adventure?

5.    Sherlock Holmes short stories are collected in how many books and what are their names?

6.    What was the fictional address of Sherlock Holmes?

7.    What was the name of Sherlock Holmes’ brother who made his appearance in a handful of stories?

8.    Who was Sherlock Holmes’ arch-rival and in which story does he meet his end?

ANSWERS

1.    Sherlock Holmes, the greatest fictional detective, features in as many as 56 short stories by Dr Doyle.

2.    Four novels — A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear — featured the master detective and his companion Dr Watson.

3.    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes on Dr Joseph Bell, for whom he worked as a clerk during the 1870s and the 1880s. Dr Bell used to enthral his students with deductive reasoning and also helped the law enforcement authorities on a couple of occasions.

4.    A Scandal in Bohemia was the first short story that featured Sherlock Holmes in 1891. In it, the only woman to impress Holmes — Irene Adler — also makes an appearance.

5.    The 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes are collected in five books. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

6.    221-B Baker Street in London is where Sherlock Holmes had his lodgings and this is where he used to meet clients. The landlady Mrs Hudson maintained the residence.

7.    Mycroft Holmes was Sherlock’s elder brother by seven years and was quite influential as he used to work for the government.

8.    Professor James Moriarty was the criminal mastermind whom Sherlock Holmes referred to as the Napoleon of crime.

He perished to his death in The Final Problem, the last story of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. — O.A.