The Best of Sherlock Holmes

Doyle Quotations and Literature

Has public recognition of Doyle's quotations changed over the years?

How does this recognition compare with that of literary contemporaries?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many different kinds of fiction and non-fiction. He popularized the detective story and is widely known for the Sherlock Holmes tales. Quotations from his writings have been recognized and repeated over the years by the public.

By referring to various editions of Familiar Quotations by John Bartlett, we can obtain data on Doyle and selected literary contemporaries from 1891 through 1992. Since the first Holmes story was published in 1887, this provides a comprehensive view on the public recognition of quotations by Doyle and others.

Details on the conclusions from this information are provided in the monograph "Quoting Sherlock Holmes: Some Observations on the Most Popular Passages" by Randall Stock.

The linked charts below provide the raw data:

Quoting Conan Doyle and Contemporaries (sorted by birth date)

Quoting Conan Doyle and Contemporaries (sorted by percentage change)