There is something passing strange about Sherlock Holmes. As one of the most famous characters in popular literature, he strides into our imagination, deerstalker hat jauntily set on his head, pipe protruding from his mouth and a formidable intellect which painstakingly masters the mysteries he investigates. Clearly Holmes has a set of qualities which elevates him as a remarkable man. but is he? Everything that is remarkable about Sherlock Holmes is remarkable only for being found in a man. The qualities that set Holmes apart as a masterful sleuth are rather commonplace -- perhaps even universal -- in any woman. In a deep investigation of the literature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, C. Alan Bradley and William A S Sarjeant uncover the surprising truth about Sherlock Holmes.

Author Biography

Alan Bradley retired from the University of Saskatchewan after a career in radio and television broadcast engineering. A pioneer in television distance education, he now lives in Kelowna, British Columbia with his wife and cats. His interests are writing and the study of early herbals. The late William A.S. Sarjeant was a Canadian geologist, historian, folk-singer, and writer. He published many articles on detective and mystery fiction. Barbara Roden is an author and editor who has written extensively on Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Awarded the title of Master Bootmaker by Canada's national Sherlock Holmes society, she contributes a regular column to the journal Canadian Holmes. She currently lives in Ashcroft, British Columbia, where she jointly runs Calabash Press.