Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories are full of references to everyday activities and events from Victorian times that make the twenty-first century reader run to the reference shelf. Few, for example, are intimately acquainted with the responsibilities of a country squire, the importance of gentlemen's clubs, or the intricacies of the Victorian monetary system.
These twenty-four short essays explore various aspects of life mentioned in the original tales of Sherlock Holmes, providing modern-day insight into the nineteenth century world. Originally shared through various Sherlockian newsletters around the world, they are gathered here for the first time. Essays cover:
• The Life of a Country Squire
• The Holmes' Family Connection to the Vernets of France
• The Fate of Second Sons
• The Victorian Medical Practice
• Victorian Transportation
• The Origins of Scotland Yard
• The River Thames
• Apiculture in the 1800s
• Westminster Palace
• Sherlock's Christmas Spirit
• Practicing Law in Victorian England
• The Second Anglo-Afghan War
• Gentleman's Clubs
• Tobacco
• 221B Baker Street
• Abductive Reasoning
• Dog Breeding
• Poisons
• Fingerprints
• Phrenology
• Communications
• The Monetary System
• The British Museum
• Chloroform
These examinations bring deeper meaning and color to the adventures of the world's most famous consulting detective.
