# Did Sherlock Holmes really exist?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [June 21, 2004, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421 "2004-06-21T07:20:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421/21 "2004-11-19T14:46:29Z")

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Hmmm,

So:

The Game involves a certain suspension of belief that a certain fictional individual may actually have lived? Lets think about this…

- He styles himself as a consultant and an expert, with a wealth of knowlege at his fingertips and his razor sharp mind.

- People throughout the world seek him out for the depth and breadth of his learning and deductive powers.

- His attitude is that of arrogance and condescension to the brash, although he can temper that for those who are truly in need.

Just out curiosity - has Cecil ever kept bees in Sussex?

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**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421/22 "2004-11-19T17:01:07Z")

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Just a quick note for fans who enjoy reading outside the Canon. Fred Saberhagen’s _The Holmes-Dracula File_ deals with a meeting between Dracula and Holmes, which delves into the case of the Giant Sumatran Rat, and also reveals some surprising information about Holmes’ family history!

(This is one volume of Saberhagen’s excellent series on Dracula, beginning with _The Dracula Tapes_, which covers the events of the original Bram Stoker book, but from the Count’s viewpoint.)

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**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421/23 "2004-11-19T18:22:00Z")

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Rent the Michael Caine movie **Without a Clue**. It answers the question nicely

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**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sherlock-holmes-really-exist/251421/24 "2004-11-19T23:32:36Z")

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Yes, he did: in fiction.

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