{{short description|Community of fans of the works of Arthur Conan Doyle}} '''Sherlock Holmes fandom''' is an international, informal community of fans of the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The fans are known as Sherlockians or Holmesians.<ref>{{cite web|last=McClure|first=Rosemary|title=A not-so-elementary guide to Sherlock Holmes' London|url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-london-sherlock-holmes-20181030-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 30, 2018|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> Many fans of Sherlock Holmes participate in societies around the world, and engage in a variety of activities such as discussion, tourism, and collecting.
==History==
Fans of the literary detective Sherlock Holmes are widely considered to have comprised the first modern fandom,<ref name="wrd-2009-04">{{Cite magazine |last=Brown |first=Scott |date=2009-04-20 |title=Scott Brown on Sherlock Holmes, Obsessed Nerds, and Fan Fiction |url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-05/pl_brown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030230911/https://www.wired.com/2009/04/pl-brown-6/ |archive-date=2022-10-30 |access-date=2015-03-12 |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast |quote=Sherlockians called them parodies and pastiches (they still do), and the initial ones appeared within 10 years of the first Holmes 1887 novella, ''A Study in Scarlet''.}}</ref> holding public demonstrations of mourning after Holmes was "killed off" in 1893, and creating some of the first fan fiction as early as about 1897 to 1902.<ref name=wrd-2009-04 /><ref name="fl-sh1">{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-02-06 |title=Sherlock Holmes |url=http://fanlore.org/w/index.php?title=Sherlock_Holmes&oldid=579597 |access-date=2015-03-12 |website=Fanlore wiki |publisher=Fanlore |quote=The earliest recorded examples of this fannish activity are from 1902...}}</ref><ref name="inverse">{{cite web|last=Britt|first=Ryan|title=The First Modern Fandom Brought Sherlock Holmes Back from the Dead|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/19987-sherlock-holmes-and-the-birth-of-fandom|publisher=Inverse|date=August 29, 2016|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref>
Fans often play the Sherlockian game,<ref name="bahn">{{cite book|last=Bahn|first=Christopher|title=Sherlock Holmes|url=https://www.avclub.com/sherlock-holmes-1798220677|website=The A.V. Club|date=June 7, 2010|access-date=December 26, 2018}}</ref> analyzing the stories under the premise that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were real people and Conan Doyle was merely Watson's literary agent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plautz|first=Jason|title=Did Dr. Watson Really Write Sherlock Holmes?|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/28760/did-dr-watson-really-write-sherlock-holmes|publisher=Mental Floss|date=September 14, 2011|access-date=December 19, 2017}}</ref> Many authors have authored "biographies" of Sherlock Holmes such as William S. Baring-Gould's ''Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street'' (1962)<ref name="bahn"/> and Nick Rennison's ''Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography'' (2005).<ref>{{cite news |author=Charles Taylor |title=Baker Street Regular |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/books/review/Taylor2.t.html |work=New York Times |date=2006-11-12 |access-date=2011-02-10 }}</ref>
Various cookbooks with a Victorian era Sherlockian theme have been published over the years. 1976 brought both ''Dining with Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Cookbook'' by Julia Rosenblatt and Frederic H. Sonnenschmidt<ref name="syfy">{{cite web|last=Manente|first=Kristina|title=Cooking Sherlock Holmes' favorite foods|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/cooking-sherlock-holmes-favorite-foods|publisher=Syfy|date=November 14, 2018|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> as well as ''Sherlock Holmes Cookbook'' by Sean M. Wright and John Farrell.<ref name="syfy"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Baker Street Meals And Menus: The Three Garridebs (1976)|url=https://fourthgarrideb.com/author/cookbook/|publisher=The Fourth Garrideb: A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars|date=June 18, 2016|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> The latter two authors have both received investitures in The Baker Street Irregulars.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 1977 BSI Dinner|url=http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/12/the-1977-bsi-dinner.html|publisher=The Baker Street Irregulars|date=December 17, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The 1981 BSI Dinner|url=http://www.bsitrust.org/2016/02/the-1981-bsi-dinner.html|publisher=The Baker Street Irregulars|date=February 19, 2016|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> William Bonnell authored ''The Sherlock Holmes Victorian Cookbook''<ref name="syfy"/> in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|last=Richards|first=Linda L.|title=Review: The Sherlock Holmes Victorian Cookbook|url=https://www.januarymagazine.com/cookbook/sherlock.html|publisher=January Magazine|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref>
Cosplay is often an aspect of Sherlockian fandom<ref>{{cite web|last=McAlpine|first=Fraser|title='Sherlock' Cosplay: How To Dress Like Sherlock|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/07/how-to-dress-like-sherlock|publisher=BBC America|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Foulkes"/> with a Sherlock Cosplay World Record attempted at UCL in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sherlock Holmes Cosplay World Record Attempt|url=http://www.redcarpetnewstv.com/sherlock-holmes-cosplay-world-record-attempt/|publisher=Red Carpet News|date= July 20, 2014|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref>
Elements of Sherlock Holmes fandom have been explored in non-fiction books such as the 2015 book ''The Great Detective'' by Zach Dundas, and the 2017 book ''From Holmes to Sherlock'' by {{ill|Mattias Boström|sv}}.
==Societies== ===Overview=== Organisations have formed all over the world devoted to Sherlock Holmes.<ref name="inverse"/> There are many Sherlock Holmes societies, though estimates of the number of groups vary; one source published in 1999 states that there are 375 such groups,<ref name="Riley 91"/> another source published in 2001 estimates the number of societies is at least 250,<ref name="Probert"/> and a different source published in 2009 states that there are more than 400 active Sherlock Holmes societies.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3OIoRbJFhAC&pg=PA269 |title=Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition |year=2009 |last=Redmond |first=Christopher |page=269 |publisher=Dundurn |isbn=9781770705920}}</ref> In many of these groups, members often play the Sherlockian game, analyzing the stories under the premise that Holmes and Watson were real historical people.<ref name="Riley 91">{{cite book |last1=Riley |first1=Dick |last2=McAllister |first2=Pam |title=The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Sherlock Holmes |url=https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=Continuum |year=1999 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0/page/91 91] |isbn=0-8264-1116-9}}</ref> Members of these societies also participate in many other activities such as discussing adaptations of the stories and organising events.<ref>{{cite web |website=Sherlockian.net |title=Celebrating |url=https://www.sherlockian.net/celebrating/ |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
Many Sherlock Holmes groups are based in geographical areas, though these groups often have an online presence. Some groups are based online, such as the longest established online Sherlock Holmes discussion group, the Hounds of the Internet mailing list, which has existed since 1992,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sherlockian.net/sharing/hounds/ |title=The Hounds of the Internet |publisher=WIDE Research at Michigan State University |website=Sherlockian.net |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> and the John H Watson Society, a worldwide online society established in 2013, which was founded mainly by members of existing American Sherlock Holmes societies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/about-the-society/ |title=About the Society |website=The John H Watson Society |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.johnhwatsonsociety.com/membership-information/ |website=The John H Watson Society |title=Membership in The Society |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
===North America===
The oldest Sherlock Holmes society is the Baker Street Irregulars, based in New York.<ref name="Societies"/> In 1934, Christopher Morley hosted a dinner in New York City in honour of Sherlock Holmes which led to the formation of The Baker Street Irregulars, or BSI.<ref name="bedside1">{{cite book|last1=Riley|first1=Dick|last2=McAllister|first2=Pam|title=The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Sherlock Holmes|url=https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0|url-access=registration|publisher=Continuum|year=1999|page=[https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0/page/91 91-92]|isbn=0-8264-1116-9}}</ref> Unlike most Sherlock Holmes societies, membership in The Baker Street Irregulars is by invitation only.<ref name="Societies"/> Each member receives an "investiture" or a special title.<ref name="BSI Membership">{{cite web |url=https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/membership-in-bsi/ |title=Membership in the BSI |website=The Baker Street Irregulars |access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> The Baker Street Irregulars was an all-male group until 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/bsi-history/ |title=BSI History |website=The Baker Street Irregulars |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref> Another Sherlock Holmes society based in New York City, The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, or ASH, was founded in the late 1960s and was first led by Evelyn Herzog. It is the oldest women’s Sherlockian society. The group protested the exclusion of women from the Baker Street Irregulars. In 1991, some Adventuresses were among the first women to be invested as members of the BSI. That year, a few men were given honorary membership in the ASH. Men were admitted to full membership of the ASH in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ash-nyc.com/ |website=The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes |title=Home page |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
There are Sherlock Holmes societies located throughout the United States that are "scion societies" of the Baker Street Irregulars.<ref name="Societies"/> Membership is open to anyone in many of these groups,<ref name="BSI Membership"/> for example the Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota, a scion society of the BSI which was founded in 1948.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norwegianexplorers.org/history.html |title=History |website=The Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> In 1957, together with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, the Norwegian Explorers unveiled a commemorative plaque for Sherlock Holmes near the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.<ref name="Meiringen"/>
The Bootmakers of Toronto is a Sherlock Holmes society based in Toronto, Canada. The society was established in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.torontobootmakers.com/about/ |title=About |website=The Bootmakers of Toronto |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref> The Bimetallic Question, a Sherlock Holmes society based in Montreal, Canada, was founded in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bimetallicquestion.org/history/history.html |website=The Bimetallic Question |title=The Society: Its History and Purpose |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> The Bimetallic Question of Montreal, together with the Reichenbach Irregulars of Switzerland, erected a plaque for Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls in 1992.<ref name="Meiringen"/> There is also a Sherlock Holmes society in Vancouver, BC, Canada, known as the Stormy Petrels of British Columbia. It was founded in 1987.<ref>{{cite journal |date=Christmas 1987 |title=From sea to sea we're Sherlockians as new group forms |journal=Canadian Holmes |pages=38 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thestormypetrels.com/about/ |title=About |website=The Stormy Petrels of British Columbia |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
There are many other Sherlock Holmes societies in North America, including groups considered to be scion societies of the Baker Street Irregulars as well as other groups.<ref name="Societies"/>
===Europe===
An organisation named the Sherlock Holmes Society was formed in London in 1934, after the formation of The Baker Street Irregulars.<ref name="bedside1"/> It included scholars among its members such as Dorothy L. Sayers and Dick Sheppard. The group was later dissolved due to World War II. The organisation was succeeded by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, founded in 1951<ref name="London"/> by a group of five people who organised the Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the 1951 Festival of Britain, including Freda Howlett, who was at one time the last surviving founder; she remained a member until her death nearly seventy years later in 2020 and was once president of the society.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/a-certain-gracious-lady-alfreda-d-howlett-bsi-1918-2020/ |title="A Certain Gracious Lady" – Alfreda D Howlett, 1918-2020 |website=The Sherlock Holmes Society of London |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Presidents"/> One of the other founders was W. T. Williams, and among those present at the first meeting were Guy Warrack, Gerald Kelly, and Winifred Paget, daughter of Sidney Paget.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ&q=W.%20T.%20Williams |title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |pages=173–174 |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref> The society's first president was Sydney Castle Roberts.<ref name="Presidents">{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/about-the-society/past-presidents-and-chairmen/ |title=Past Presidents and Chairmen |website=The Sherlock Holmes Society of London |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> In 1957, the society unveiled a commemorative plaque for Sherlock Holmes near the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, together with an American Sherlockian society, the Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota.<ref name="Meiringen"/> The London society also unveiled the world's first statue of Sherlock Holmes in Meiringen, Switzerland, near the Reichenbach Falls, in 1988.<ref name="Redmond 301">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3OIoRbJFhAC&pg=PA301 |title=Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition |year=2009 |last=Redmond |first=Christopher |page=301 |publisher=Dundurn |isbn=9781770705920}}</ref> In 1999, the society's campaign for a Sherlock Holmes statue in London resulted in the unveiling of the statue of Sherlock Holmes in London.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/09/24/for-sherlock-holmes-a-study-in-bronze/702269c7-63cf-4b8f-a2a4-b7ad810c1968/ |title=For Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Bronze |last=Reid |first=T. R. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=24 September 1999 |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref> The society's events include discussions, lectures, film viewings, and Victorian cricket matches.<ref name="Miscellany 175">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ&q=Victorian%20cricket |page=175| title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref> The society also organises annual outings to areas related to Sherlock Holmes,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/event/i-at-once-came-to-norfolk-a-weekend-in-east-anglia/ |title=Norfolk Weekend |year=2017 |website=The Sherlock Holmes Society of London |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> typically to areas around the UK but also including "pilgrimages" to the Reichenbach Falls, such as the group's seventh pilgrimage to the Falls, which occurred in 2012.<ref name="Foulkes">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19598997 |title=Sherlock Holmes and his fight to the death |website=BBC News |last=Foulkes |first=Imogen |date=17 September 2012 |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Miscellany 175"/> As of 2012, the society has nearly 1,200 full members and more than 200 associate members.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ&q=1%2C200%20members |title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |page=174 |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref> Membership is open to anyone.<ref name="London">{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/about-the-society/ |website=The Sherlock Holmes Society of London |title=About the Society |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref>
There are also other Sherlock Holmes societies in the UK, such as The Crew of the S.S. May Day, founded in 1992 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thessmayday.org.uk/about-the-crew/the-history-of-the-crew-of-the-s-s-may-day/ |title=History |website=The Crew of the S.S. May Day |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> Other Sherlock Holmes societies in the UK include The Deerstalkers of Welshpool, based in Welshpool, Wales and founded in 2001,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://holmeswelshpool.com/about-our-founder/ |website=Holmes Welshpool The Sherlock Holmes Society of Wales |title=About our Founder |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> and the Self-Important Scotland Yarders, the Sherlock Holmes society of Scotland, founded in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sherlockscotland.blogspot.com/ |website=The Self-Important Scotland Yarders |access-date=25 July 2020 |title=Home page}}</ref>
The Reichenbach Irregulars, the Sherlock Holmes society of Switzerland, was founded in Meiringen in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.221b.ch/index_e.html |title=Welcome to the Reichenbach Irregulars, the Sherlock Holmes Society of Switzerland |website=The Reichenbach Irregulars |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> In 1992, together with the Bimetallic Question of Montreal, the Reichenbach Irregulars erected a plaque at the Reichenbach Falls commemorating Holmes's defeat of Professor Moriarty.<ref name="Meiringen">{{cite web |url=http://www.221b.ch/Meiringen_e.html |title=Meiringen |website=The Reichenbach Irregulars |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
The Hungarian Sherlock Holmes Club was established in 2011 and is based in Budapest, Hungary. Actor László Tahi Tóth, the Hungarian voice of Jeremy Brett for the Hungarian dubbed version of the Granada ''Sherlock Holmes'' television series, was once president of the club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sherlockian-sherlock.com/sherlock-holmes-club-hungary.php |title=Hungarian Sherlock Holmes Club |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>
Other examples of Sherlock Holmes societies in Europe include the Danish Baker Street Irregulars, founded in 1950,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sherlockholmesklubben.dk/?page_id=74 |title=In English |website=Sherlock Holmes Klubben |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Miscellany 179"/> The Baskerville Hall Club of Sweden, founded in 1979,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baskervillehallclub.com/ |website=The Baskerville Hall Club of Sweden |title=Välkommen till The Baskerville Hall Club of Sweden |access-date=25 July 2020 |language=sv}}</ref> the Italian society Uno Studio in Holmes, founded in 1987,<ref>{{cite web |language=it |url=http://www.unostudioinholmes.org/presentazione.htm |title=Uno Studio in Holmes |website=USIH |access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref> the Société Sherlock Holmes de France (Sherlock Holmes Society of France), founded in 1993,<ref>{{cite web |language=fr |url=https://www.sherlockians.com/sshf-presentation |title=Société Sherlock Holmes de France |website=SSHF |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Miscellany 179">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ |pages=179–180 | title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref> and the Deutsche Sherlock-Holmes-Gesellschaft (German Sherlock Holmes Society), founded in 2010,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dshc.de/ |title=Willkommen bei der Deutschen Sherlock-Holmes Gesellschaft |language=de |website=Deutsche Sherlock-Holmes-Gesellschaft |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lokalkompass.de/dortmund-nord/c-kultur/mit-deerstalker-nach-huckarde-sherlock-holmes-fans-treffen-sich-am-28-april-zum-dshg-stammtisch_a752412 |title=Mit Deerstalker nach Huckarde: Sherlock-Holmes-Fans treffen sich am 28. April zum DSHG-Stammtisch |language=de |website=Stadt Anzeiger |date=10 April 2017 |last=Weskamp |first=Tobias |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> among many others.<ref name="Societies">{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlockian.net/celebrating/locations/ |website=Sherlockian.net |title=Societies and Locations |publisher=WIDE Research at Michigan State University |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
===Other regions=== The Japan Sherlock Holmes Club was founded in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.holmesjapan.jp/english/history.html |title=Sherlock Holmes in Japan |author=Tsukasa Kobayashi |website=Japan Sherlock Holmes Club |access-date=20 July 2020}}</ref> This has been described as the largest Sherlock Holmes society,<ref>{{cite book|last=Boström|first=Mattias|title=From Holmes to Sherlock|publisher=Mysterious Press|year=2018|page=438|isbn=978-0-8021-2789-1}}</ref> though various sources give greatly different estimates of the number of members, with several but not all sources giving estimates of around one thousand.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Riley |first1=Dick |last2=McAllister |first2=Pam |title=The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Sherlock Holmes |url=https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=Continuum |year=1999 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bedsidebathtubar00dick_0/page/92 92] |isbn=0-8264-1116-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3OIoRbJFhAC&pg=284 |title=Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition |last=Redmond |year=2009 |first=Christopher |page=284 |publisher=Dundurn |isbn=9781770705920}}</ref><ref name="Probert">{{cite web|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/two-sherlock-holmes-museums-in-switzerland--elementary-/14590 |title=Two Sherlock Holmes museums in Switzerland? Elementary! |website=Swissinfo |last=Probert |first=Roy |date=9 August 2001 |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="Tezuka">{{cite book |title=Living Japan: Essays on Everyday Life in Contemporary Society |page=154 |chapter=Sherlock Holmes Club |first=Yuki |last=Tezuka |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfV5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA154 |editor-last=Kimura |editor-first=Harumi |publisher=Global Oriental |year=2009 |isbn=9789004213050}}</ref> Roger Johnson, a recipient of an investiture in the BSI and the ASH, wrote in 2018 that of the Sherlock Holmes societies around the world, the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club "probably have the largest membership, with well over a thousand members each".<ref>{{cite book |year=2018 |editor-last=Marcum |editor-first=David |last=Johnson |first=Roger |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XKtXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT46 |title=The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories - Part IX: 2018 Annual (1879-1895) |chapter=We Can Make the World a Better Place|publisher=Andrews UK Limited |isbn=9781787052826 }}</ref> Members of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club wrote a book on Sherlock Holmes which was published in 1987.<ref name="Tezuka"/> The club commissioned a statue of Sherlock Holmes in Karuizawa, Japan, in 1988.<ref name="Miscellany 180">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ |page=180 | title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref>
There are other Sherlock Holmes societies around the world, including The Sydney Passengers, founded in Sydney, Australia in 1985,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sherlock-holmes.au/WebsitePhotosAttachments/IndexPage_PhotosAttach/From_the_Archives_Slides_20150524_final_FB.pdf |title=The Sydney Passengers: 30 Years of fun and friendship |website=The Sydney Passengers |date=24 May 2015}}</ref> and the Sherlock Holmes Society of India, founded in 2001,<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.sherlockholmessocietyofindia.com/p/our-history.html |website=Sherlock Holmes Society of India |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> in addition to other societies.<ref name="Societies"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sherlocktron.com/three.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001033058/http://www.sherlocktron.com/three.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 1, 2013 |title=Active Sherlockian Societies |website=Sherlocktron |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
==Fan sites and podcasts==
As of 2009, there are several major websites devoted to Sherlock Holmes such as ''Sherlockian.net'', ''The Best of Sherlock Holmes'', ''Camden House'', and others.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3OIoRbJFhAC&pg=PA296 |title=Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition |year=2009 |last=Redmond |first=Christopher |page=296 |publisher=Dundurn |isbn=9781770705920}}</ref> ''Sherlockian.net'' was established in 1994 as the first online resource for information about Sherlock Holmes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlockian.net/about/ |title=About |publisher=WIDE Research at Michigan State University |website=Sherlockian.net |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> The website ''The Best of Sherlock Holmes'' contains information about items related to Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, and includes "best" lists such as a list of the best Sherlock Holmes stories.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestofsherlock.com/index.htm |website=The Best of Sherlock Holmes |title=Home page |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> ''Camden House'' is an online collection of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and the illustrations which were originally published with the stories in magazines.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2008/11/are-in-camden-house-empt_23.html#.XxULB5NKgfQ |website=I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere |publisher=IHOSE Media, LLC |title=Camden House is Back Online |access-date=19 July 2020 |last=Scott |first=Monty |date=23 November 2008}}</ref> Some Sherlock Holmes societies such as the Sherlock Holmes Society of London also have websites with resources and information related to Sherlock Holmes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk/category/news/ |website=The Sherlock Holmes Society of London |title=News |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
The Hounds of the Internet is a Sherlockian listserv which was founded in the early 1990s and is open to anyone with an interest in Sherlock Holmes. Messages from some of the 170+ members are posted (in English only) in digest form at the end of each day. The Hounds is hosted by the University of Edinburgh. The current Listmaster is Alexander Braun.
''I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere'' is a podcast and website devoted to Sherlock Holmes news and popular culture. Its first episode was released in 2007,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/06/episode-01-welcome-and-introduction.html#.XxUKSZNKgfR |website=I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere |publisher=IHOSE Media, LLC |title= Episode 01: Welcome and an Introduction |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> and it has more than ten thousand followers on Twitter as of 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock |website=Twitter |title=I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere (@IHearofSherlock) |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> The podcast features interviews<ref name="Miscellany 222"/> and reviews, and episodes are currently released twice a month.<ref name="Trifles"/> There are 196 episodes as of July 2020.<ref name="IHOSE Archives">{{cite web |url=https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/show-archives.html#.XyNh6hNKivg |publisher=IHOSE Media, LLC |website=I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere |title=Show Archives |date=25 July 2020 |access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> People who have been interviewed on the podcast include Bert Coules, Laurie R. King, Leslie S. Klinger, and many others.<ref name="IHOSE Archives"/> The team behind ''I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere'' launched a separate podcast titled ''Sherlock Holmes: Trifles'' in 2017. ''Trifles'' is a shorter, weekly podcast presenting discussions about the original Sherlock Holmes stories,<ref name="Trifles">{{cite web |url=https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2017/01/new-sherlock-holmes-podcast-trifles.html#.XyNc3RNKivg |website=I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere |publisher=IHOSE Media, LLC |title=New Sherlock Holmes Podcast: Trifles |last=Monty |first=Scott |date=27 January 2017 |access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> and has 187 episodes as of July 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/ |website=Sherlock Holmes: Trifles |access-date=30 July 2020 |publisher=IHOSE Media, LLC |title=Trifles: A weekly show about details in the Sherlock Holmes stories}}</ref>
The Baker Street Babes are an all-female Sherlockian group who host a podcast that started in 2011. The podcast has 88 episodes as of July 2020,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bakerstreetbabes.com/podcast/ |title=Podcast |website=The Baker Street Babes |access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> and features interviews and discussions.<ref name="Miscellany 222">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ |title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |page=222 |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref> The group consists of 11 members,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/fandom/sherlock-holmes-baker-street-babes-fans-podcast/ |title=Meet the Baker Street Babes, the first all-female Sherlock Holmes podcast |website=Daily Dot |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=4 December 2013 |last=Granshaw |first=Lisa}}</ref> and has more than forty thousand followers on Twitter as of July 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/BakerStBabes |website=Twitter |title=Baker Street Babes (@BakerStBabes) |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
==Tourism==
Sherlock Holmes tours in London are a "thriving business" as of 2018.<ref name="McClure"/> Most of these tours start at Piccadilly Circus and include nearby locations that are mentioned in the stories or have been used as filming sites for screen adaptations.<ref name="McClure">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-london-sherlock-holmes-20181030-story.html |last=McClure |first=Rosemary |website=Los Angeles Times |title=A not-so-elementary guide to Sherlock Holmes' London |date=30 October 2018 |access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> Thousands of fans of Sherlock Holmes visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum each year. The museum officially has the address of Holmes's residence, 221B Baker Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/18/sherlock.holmes.tourism.london/index.html |title=British tourism hopes to cash in on Sherlock Holmes |date=19 January 2010 |website=CNN |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> There is also a pub in London named The Sherlock Holmes, which is decorated with objects and photographs of Sherlock Holmes characters. It is located in Charing Cross. A statue of Sherlock Holmes is located outside Baker Street tube station in London, and was unveiled in 1999.<ref name="Redmond 301"/><ref name="McClure"/>
Tours for fans of Sherlock Holmes are offered in Dartmoor, an area in southwest England which serves as the setting for much of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/oct/31/dartmoor-devon-hound-of-baskervilles-tour-halloween |website=The Guardian |title=Bogs, fogs and dogs: a tour of Conan Doyle's Dartmoor |date=31 October 2015 |last=Hinson |first=Tamara |access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> Another place associated with Sherlock Holmes that fans can tour is Undershaw, which was once the home of Arthur Conan Doyle and is located in southeast England.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.steppingstones.org.uk/Community/Conan-Doyle-Events/ |title=Conan Doyle Events |website=Stepping Stones School |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> A statue of Sherlock Holmes, sculpted by Gerald Laing, was installed in 1989 in Edinburgh, Scotland, near Arthur Conan Doyle's birthplace.<ref name="Redmond 301"/>
Many fans have made a "pilgrimage" to Meiringen, Switzerland, and the nearby Reichenbach Falls, where Holmes has his final showdown with Professor Moriarty in Doyle's short story "The Final Problem".<ref name="Probert"/> The Sherlock Holmes Society of London has organised group trips to the Reichenbach Falls intermittently since 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/switzerland/articles/Sherlock-Holmes-the-end-game-at-Switzerlands-Reichenbach-Falls/ |title=Sherlock Holmes: the end game at Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls |website=The Telegraph |first=Michael |last=White |date=13 December 2013}}</ref> There is also a Sherlock Holmes museum in Meiringen,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sherlockholmes.ch/en/Info/Museum |title=Museum |access-date=19 July 2020 |website=Sherlock Holmes Museum Meiringen}}</ref> and another Sherlock Holmes museum in Lucens, Switzerland.<ref name="Probert"/> The world's first statue of Sherlock Holmes was unveiled in Meiringen in September 1988, by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, which also unveiled the statue in London in 1999. John Doubleday sculpted both of these statues.<ref name="Redmond 301"/>
The world's second statue of Sherlock Holmes was erected in October 1988 in Karuizawa, Japan,<ref name="Redmond 301"/> by the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club, to commemorate Ken Nobuhara, who was the first to translate all the stories into Japanese.<ref name="Miscellany 180"/><ref name="Statue"/> The statue was sculpted by Yoshinori Satoh,<ref name="Redmond 301"/> and has become well-known since it is mentioned in many of the local guidebooks for tourists.<ref name="Statue">{{cite web |url=http://www.holmesjapan.jp/english/statue.htm |title=The Statue of Sherlock Holmes in Japan |website=Japan Sherlock Holmes Club |access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>
A sculpture depicting both Holmes and Watson was unveiled in Moscow, Russia, in 2007. It is located outside the British embassy. The figures were based on both Sidney Paget's illustrations and the portrayals of the characters by actors Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin, who played Holmes and Watson respectively in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ethnoworld.ru/en/projects/projects-in-russia/monument-to-sherlock-holmes-and-dr-watson/ |title=Monument to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson |website=Dialogue of Cultures - United World |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> Livanov helped design the monument.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6607249.stm |title=Moscow honours legendary Holmes |website=BBC News |date=30 April 2007 |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
In 2019, a statue of Holmes titled "Sherlock & Segar" was unveiled in Chester, Illinois, United States, as part of the Popeye & Friends Character Trail, a series of statues honouring the work of American cartoonist E. C. Segar. The face of the sculpture was based on that of Segar himself. The statue was erected as a tribute to Segar and his "compelling interest in the master detective", according to the inscription on the statue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baskervilleproductions.com/statue |title=Sherlock & Segar Statue Dedicated on Dec. 7, 2019 |website=Baskerville Productions |access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>
==Collections== Some fans of Sherlock Holmes are collectors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abebooks.com/books/rarebooks/Avid-Collector/Sep06/sherlock-holmes.shtml |website=AbeBooks |title=Clues on Collecting Sherlock Holmes |access-date=19 July 2020 |last=Gold |first=Phillip}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/armstrong.htm |website=Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine |title=The Celebrity Collector: Veteran Character Actor Curtis Armstrong Collects Books |last=Hall |first=Ken |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> Such collectors often have wide-ranging collections of books and objects related to Sherlock Holmes, though some only collect specific items such as first editions or foreign language translations of Holmes stories.<ref name="Miscellany 193"/> For stamp collectors, there are Holmesian stamps from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other countries and territories, and for coin collectors, there are Holmesian coins from Gibraltar and the Cook Islands.<ref name="Miscellany 193">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W-ISDQAAQBAJ |title=The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany |pages=193–195 |last1=Johnson |first1=Roger |last2=Upton |first2=Jean |publisher=The History Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780752483474}}</ref>
Noted Sherlockian John Bennett Shaw,<ref>{{cite book|last=Boström|first=Mattias|title=From Holmes to Sherlock|publisher=Mysterious Press|year=2018|page=386|isbn=978-0-8021-2789-1}}</ref> who received an investiture in The Baker Street Irregulars, at one time amassed the largest collection of Sherlock Holmes items in the world, including books, recordings, advertising, and other memorabilia.<ref name="Groves"/> Shaw compiled a list of 100 books, pamphlets, and periodicals essential for Sherlockian study entitled ''The Basic Holmesian Library''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Boström|first=Mattias|title=From Holmes to Sherlock|publisher=Mysterious Press|year=2018|page=435|isbn=978-0-8021-2789-1}}</ref> Shaw's collection was bequeathed to the University of Minnesota<ref name="Mumford"/> upon his death in 1994. The university had already housed the largest public Sherlock Holmes collection.<ref name="Groves">{{cite book |title=Out of the Ordinary: Popular Art, Architecture and Design |last=Groves |first=Derham |pages=199–215 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2000 |isbn=9781527551428 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G7bkDwAAQBAJ&q=Sherlockiana}}</ref> In 1995, Shaw’s collection was formally dedicated at the University of Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lib.umn.edu/scrbm/basic-holmesian-library |website=University of Minnesota Libraries |title=The Basic Holmesian Library: Introduction to the Exhibit |last=McKuras |first=Julie |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> As of 2015, the University of Minnesota's Sherlock Holmes Collections constitute the world's largest archive of Sherlock Holmes materials, containing over 60,000 items.<ref name="Mumford">{{cite web |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/27/books-thread-sherlock-archive-minnesota |title=Exploring the largest Sherlock Holmes archive in the world |last=Mumford |first=Tracy |date=27 June 2015 |website=Minnesota Public Radio News |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> The collection includes objects related to Arthur Conan Doyle,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lib.umn.edu/holmes/about-collections |title=About the Collections |website=University of Minnesota Libraries |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> and is generally not displayed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lib.umn.edu/holmes |title=Sherlock Holmes |website=University of Minnesota Libraries |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
One of the largest collections of Sherlock Holmes items is the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Reference Library in Canada. The collection started in 1969 when the library purchased a large number of books from the estate of a private collector, and is displayed in a room styled after the study of Holmes's fictional Baker Street residence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sherlock-holmes-room-toronto-reference-library-1.4941883 |website=CBC Radio Canada |title=More than a century later, Sherlock Holmes lives on at the Toronto Reference Library |last=Xing |first=Lisa |access-date=19 July 2020 |date=28 December 2018}}</ref> The collection consists of more than 25,000 items, including materials related to Arthur Conan Doyle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/specialized-collections/literature-genre-doyle.jsp |title=Arthur Conan Doyle Collection |access-date=19 July 2020 |website=Toronto Public Library}}</ref> During his lifetime, Richard Lancelyn Green gathered a large Sherlock Holmes collection, which was bequeathed to the Portsmouth City Museum in Portsmouth, England.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/conandoyle |title=The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection |website=Visit Portsmouth |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> There is also a large collection of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia displayed in the London pub The Sherlock Holmes.
==See also== *Sherlock Holmes pastiches *Popular culture references to Sherlock Holmes
==References== {{reflist}}
{{HolmesNovels}} {{Fandom}}
Category:Literary fandom Fandom Category:Sherlock Holmes fandom