There’s a wealth of information about Sherlock Holmes, and much of it is not contained online—especially if it was written in a time before the internet. This is a selection of reference books about Sherlock Holmes, written by enthusiasts and scholars. Some books are meant to be companions to the stories to help you keep the characters and events straight. Other books are historical explanations of how Holmes’ world came to be. No matter the topic, there’s something unique to be found in each one, and they all give us further insight into the Great Detective.
The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes by Leslie Klinger.
Arthur and Sherlock: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes by Michael Sims. Review by The Guardian.
The Encyclopaedia Sherlockiana by Jack Tracy. Reference book about names, places and Victorian details in the stories, published 1977 in hardback. Paperback edition also available.
From Holmes to Sherlock: The Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon by Mattias Boström. Reviews by The Washington Post and New York Journal of Books.
The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes (Philosophy of Popular Culture) by Philip Tallon
The Scientific Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case with Science and Forensics by James O'Brien.
Sherlock Holmes by Gas Lamp: Highlights from the First Four Decades of The Baker Street Journal by Philip Shreffler.
The Sherlock Holmes Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained) by Leslie S. Klinger.
The Sherlock Holmes Companion by Daniel Smith.
The Sherlock Holmes Handbook: The Methods and Mysteries of the World's Greatest Detective by Ransom Riggs.
Sherlock Holmes's London: Explore the City in the Footsteps of the Great Detective by Rose Shepherd.
The World Bibliography of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, by Ronald B. De Waal, published 1974. Additional volume: The International Sherlock Holmes, 1980. New edition, The Universal Sherlock Holmes, in five volumes, limited edition, 1994.