This edited collection is distinctive in covering a wide range of media, geographical locations, genres and perspectives, with a central focus on the enduring and ubiquitous appeal of the figure of Sherlock Holmes. It positions Holmes in relation to intellectual history and, in so doing, uses Holmes as a lens of thinking about a range of pressing social issues. The underlying argument in this book, then, is twofold: it demonstrates how Holmes has historically engaged with contemporary social issues, and shows some of the new directions of this tradition across contemporary reincarnations.