Sherlock Holmes

Elementary: Holmes deduces that Watson has got wet recently
and that he has a clumsy servant girl.
Quotable Quote: ‘You see, but you do not observe. The distinc-
tion is clear.’
Disguises: A drunken groom and a nonconformist clergyman.
Problems: Holmes knew time was running out so why didn’t he
put a watch on Irene Adler’s house? It’s unlikely a cab could get
from St John’s Wood to the Edgware Road via a Regent Street
shop before another one going straight there. The date clashes
with the previous story. It is never explained how Holmes gath-
ered up so many accomplices. The housekeeper is called Mrs
Turner (the same thing happens in the manuscript of The Empty
House – it seems Doyle couldn’t remember the name he had
previously used).
Observations: Established in January 1891 by George Newnes,
the monthly Strand Magazine broke new ground by publishing
complete short stories featuring recurring characters.Thinking
Sherlock Holmes would be an ideal choice for this fledgling
genre, Doyle’s agent AP Watt sent two stories to editor
Herbert Greenhough Smith – this one and The Red-Headed
League. Another four swiftly followed, for which Doyle was
paid approximately £200 in total. Walter Paget had been
chosen to illustrate the story (Newnes’ policy was to print a
picture on every page), but his brother Sidney was commis-
sioned in error.Walter then became Sidney’s model for Holmes
while art school student Alfred Morris Butler (who bore a
strong resemblance to Doyle) posed for Watson.This first story
mirrors at least two real-life royalty liaisons: singer Ludmilla
Hubel and Ludwig I of Bavaria, and Lillie Langtry and the
Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). A gasogene was the
precursor of the soda siphon.
Verdict: A lightweight domestic melodrama played for laughs, it
S H E R L O C K H O L M E S
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lacks a certain something. But its Mission:Impossible-style plot is
entertaining, as is Holmes’s offhand approach to royalty. 3/5
4) The Red-Headed League
UK: The Strand Magazine (August 1891, SP)
The Case: A pawnbroker is mystified as to why his lucrative part-
time job has suddenly ended…
Date: 9–10 October 1890.
Characters: Jabez Wilson, Vincent  Spaulding, John  Clay,
Inspector Peter Jones, Merryweather, Ezekiah Hopkins, Duncan
Ross,William Morris.
Locations: 221B Baker Street; St James’s Hall, Piccadilly; Saxe-
Coburg Square, off Farringdon Street; City and Suburban
Bank, Farringdon Street; 4 Pope’s Court, Fleet Street; 17 King
Edward Street, St Paul’s.
Recorded Cases: A Case of Identity,The Sign of Four.
Holmes: Has written about tattoos. Says Watson has embellished
his cases. Has a good sense of humour. Judges the complexity
of a case by the number of pipes he smokes (this one is a three-
pipe problem). Prefers German music when feeling introspec-
tive. Is a gifted composer. Plays bridge or whist. Carries a
hunting crop. Quotes Gustave Flaubert.
Watson: Lives to the south of Hyde Park where he finds his
medical practice unabsorbing.
Elementary: Deduces Jabez Wilson is a manual labourer,
Freemason, snuff-taker, has recently written a great deal and
has visited China.
Quotable Quote: ‘My life is spent in one long effort to escape
from the commonplaces of existence.’
Problems: Holmes mentions Mary Sutherland’s case, which isn’t
until the next story. The date is 9 October 1890 yet Wilson’s
T H E C A N O N
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advert appeared on 27 April,‘two months ago’. Coburg Square
alternates with Saxe-Coburg Square. Athelney Jones appears to
have changed his name to Peter. Getting Wilson out of his
pawnbroker’s is unnecessary as Wilson already knows
Spaulding spends hours in the cellar. In fact, having him back in
the shop during the robbery is illogical – that’s the one time he
should be absent.