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In Which Book Did Sherlock Holmes Say, "Elementary, My Dear Watson"?

Detective Sherlock Holmes is a famous character created by author Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote 60 mystery stories, beginning in 1890, containing Holmes and his assistant Watson which were later made into films.

When the books were translated into film, some popular dialogue between Holmes and Watson was modified slightly. In the novels, Sherlock Holmes says "Elementary" and "My dear Watson," but not "Elementary, my dear Watson." This popular, somewhat mistaken phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" is used frequently in the films.

The 12 final Sherlock Holmes mystery stories were written in 1928. The final stories were published in a compilation titled The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.

More about Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle:

  • Doyle attempted to kill off the Sherlock Holmes character so he could focus more on writing about Spiritualism.
  • Sherlock Holmes was reintroduced in 1901 to help Doyle raise money to fund his missionary work.
  • Doyle attended medical school, which is where he drew the inspiration for the creation of Sherlock Holmes.

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