LIFE Sherlock Holmes: The Story Behind the World's Greatest Detective

With season 4 of the popular Benedict Cumberbatch series, Sherlock, about to air on BBC One—and another Robert Downey movie about the great detective in the works—LIFE offers a colorful look back on the life and career of the immortal sleuth, along with a biography of his remarkable creator, Arthur Conan Doyle. Did you know that Holmes was based on a real person? Or that Doyle came to hate him? Or that the writer solved more than a few real-life mysteries himself? You'll find that and much more in this entertaining, immersive, informative new book.