The World of Sherlock Holmes delves into the detective's storied history to explore the myths and reality of the era where Holmes was first born - a time when crime analysis and medicine were seeing unprecedented developments and technology was quickly advancing. It was a world where Scotland Yard was the king of criminal detection - that is, before our enigmatic hero was written into existence.

As well as the history of the character's origin, this book also looks at some of the many different portrayals of the 'deerstalker' detective through the years, concluding with the modern BBC Sherlock series, the American spin-off Elementary, and the action-packed Sherlock Holmes films directed by Guy Ritchie.