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It's Elementary: An Annotated Sherlock Holmes

"In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the Army."

One hundred seventeen years ago, this line was published in the British journal Beeton's Christmas Annual as the opening to a short novel. Titled "A Study in Scarlet," the piece introduced characters that would eventually change the course of popular culture: the great consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty friend Dr. John Watson.

The author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, became one of the most celebrated men in British literature and his protagonist became an enduring icon. Through four novels and 56 short stories, Doyle enthralled readers and inspired a group of intense followers known as "Sherlockian scholars," who delve into every detail of Holmes' life and times.

In the year of the famed sleuth's 150th birthday, Norton has published a definitive edition of the Holmes canon: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories. NPR's Liane Hansen talks to Leslie Klinger, editor of the huge two-volume set.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.