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A wickedly smart and rollicking journey through the birth, life, and afterlives of popular cultures most beloved sleuth Today he is the inspiration for fiction adaptations, blockbuster movies, hit television shows, raucous Twitter banter, and thriving subcultures. More than a century after Sherlock Holmes first capered into our world, what is it about Arthur Conan Doylespeculiar creation that continues to fascinate us Journalist and lifelong Sherlock fanZach Dundas set out to find the answer. The result is The Great Detective a history of an idea, a biography of someone who never lived, a tour of the borderland between reality and fiction, and a joyful romp through the world Conan Doyle bequeathed us. Through sparkling new readings of the original stories, Dundas unearths the inspirations behind Holmes and his indispensable companion, Dr.