Book excerpt: Historical Dictionary of Sherlock Holmes contains a variety of information about Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, as both narratives and also cultural phenomena. The volume will help readers look deeper into those stories and the meanings of the various reference points within them, as well as achieving a deeper understanding of the range of contexts of Holmes, Conan Doyle, and detective fiction as a genre. This book examines the broad global Sherlock Holmes phenomenon related to the ways in which the stories have been adapted into a range of other media, as well as the cultural status of Holmes all over the world. Historical Dictionary of Sherlock Holmes contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1,000 cross-referenced entries that contain detailed examinations of the themes and features of the 60 stories that make up the Sherlock Holmes canon. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.