Sherlock Holmes Story Elements

Les Klinger's New Annotated Sherlock Holmes has a prominent place in my library 

The lawsuit by Leslie S. Klinger against the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has attracted a huge amount of interest, and not just among Sherlockians around the world. Major publications such as BusinessWeek, The New York Times, and Publisher's Weekly have given it a lot of ink.

You probably know, therefore that Klinger -- editor of the invaluable New Annotated Sherlock Holmes -- argues "that the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson are no longer protected by federal copyright laws and that writers, filmmakers, and others are free to create new stories about Holmes, Watson, and others of their circle without paying license fees to the current owners of the remaining copyrights."

So says his website, Free Sherlock.

But you probably haven't read the lawsuit. I haven't either. But I have read Exhibit A, "Sherlock Holmes Story Elements," and it's fascinating. Seeking to prove that almost all of the important Holmes and Watson characteristics, as well as many important characters of the saga, originated outside the ten Holmes stories that are still under copyright in the United States, Klinger lists those characters and characteristics along with the names of stories in which they appear.

The result winds up being a wonderful little cheat sheet for those of us (like me) with poor memories. Holmes's erratic eating habits? Look in "The Norwood Builder." Bohemian nature? "The Musgrave Ritual." Fees? Klinger lists four stories. Aptitute for disguise? Five stories.

This is a great resource. Check it out online!