Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London based detective; Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess; and is renowned for his skillful use of deductive reasoning; somewhat mistakenly see inductive reasoning; and astute observation to solve difficult cases. He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created; and is one of the best known and most universally recognizable literary characters in any genre.