Rena Korb has a master's degree in English literature and creative writing and has written for a wide variety of educational publishers. In the following essay she provides an overview of the continuing popularity of the Sherlock Holmes' saga and examines the elements that make up "The Red-Headed League."

L Watson, although a "bright man and a medical doctor, plays the slow-witted counterpart to Holmes' quick deductive reasoning."

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most legendary literary figures, not only among lovers of detective fiction. Stories of Holmes' adventures—and there are only 56 short stories and 4 novels—have been translated throughout the world and made into plays, films, and television programs. There are more than 50 magazines devoted to the discussion of Sherlock Holmes and countless societies formed by people to celebrate him. When Arthur Conan Doyle sold all rights to A Study in Scarlet in 1886 for a...