WI: No Sherlock Holmes?

What if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stuck to writing his period novels and never attempted detective fiction, thus no Sherlock Holmes? Obviously this affects a lot of pop culture butterflies.
 

Driftless

Donor
Mystery and Crime genres probaby remain as minor or even pulp material for a longer time - maybe much longer. The use of logic & scientific methods by Holmes and his better grade of social connections gave broader standing to the stories. Also, employing Dr Watson as a learned, but more down to earth associate served to better connect the tales to everyman. Watson, was critical to the 'explaining" of the stories and humanizing them.

There were other popular mystery stories in that era including "gentlemen" sleuths, but none that acheived the traction and durability of Holmes. It's hard for me to picture the rise of a Poirot or Lord Peter Whimsey, etc without Sherlock Holmes & Watson arriving first.
 
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There was a thriving 'detective' genre...

IIRC, there was a thriving, multi-national genre, of the 'clever loner' trumping Plod. Even Poe had a go...

The French had an infamous mega-villain, who bestrode Paris and tied pursuit in knots. Like J.Bond slaying 'double' after 'double', but always missing the *real* Blofeld...

IMHO, AC Doyle not only ticked all the boxes, he was in the right place at the right time, he had a renowned Scottish doctor as a deductive model, had the 'Strand Magazine' and an inspired illustrator...

Disclaimer: My child-hood reading included an aunt's bound issues of Strand magazine with several serialised Holmes tales...

( I was an *easy* child to mind on a wet afternoon-- Just hand me a book... ;))
 
IIRC, there was a thriving, multi-national genre, of the 'clever loner' trumping Plod. Even Poe had a go...

The French had an infamous mega-villain, who bestrode Paris and tied pursuit in knots. Like J.Bond slaying 'double' after 'double', but always missing the *real* Blofeld...

IMHO, AC Doyle not only ticked all the boxes, he was in the right place at the right time, he had a renowned Scottish doctor as a deductive model, had the 'Strand Magazine' and an inspired illustrator...

Disclaimer: My child-hood reading included an aunt's bound issues of Strand magazine with several serialised Holmes tales...

( I was an *easy* child to mind on a wet afternoon-- Just hand me a book... ;))
You mean Fantomas or Arsène Lupin? without Holmes, Herlock Sholmès, one of Lupin's opponents, will certainly be replaced by someone else.
 
Also, it would make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle a much less well-known figure. Might this have had other butterflies in the Boer War and with spiritualism?
 
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