Sherlock Holmes is a fictional London-based detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is famous for his logical reasoning, his ability to take on almost any disguise and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. He first appeared in publication in 1887, and is featured in four novels and 56 short stories. All except four stories are narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. Sherlock Holmes grew tremendously in popularity with the first series of short stories published in the Strand Magazine, beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia in 1891; further short stories and novels appeared between then and 1927. The stories cover a period from around 1880 up to 1914. Conan Doyle wrote the first set of stories over the course of a decade. Wanting to devote more time to his historical novels, he killed off Holmes in The Final Problem, published in 1893. Due to public pressure, Holmes had to be brought back to life in The Adventure of the Empty House in 1903. Sherlock Holmes is a fictional London-based detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is famous for his logical reasoning, his ability to take on almost any disguise and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. He first appeared in publication in 1887, and is featured in four novels and 56 short stories. All except four stories are narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. Sherlock Holmes grew tremendously in popularity with the first series of short stories published in the Strand Magazine, beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia in 1891; further short stories and novels appeared between then and 1927. The stories cover a period from around 1880 up to 1914.