Investigating Sherlock

Since the first Sherlock Holmes story was published in 1887, the houndstooth-hatted detective has taken on a life of his own, from the four original novels and fifty-six short stories to endless pastiches, parodies, cookbooks, and video games, and a spot of Cumberbatchmania. 

A large selection of Sherlock Holmes fiction, scholarship, and memorabilia was recently donated to the LSU Libraries’ Special Collections by Russell Mann, a retired professor of journalism at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Mann started building the collection in the 1990s; and it's especially strong in “non-canonical” fiction (Holmes stories written by authors other than Doyle), comic books and graphic novels featuring Holmes, and rare scholarly publications, including journals of Holmes societies from around the world. The collection joins the ranks of about a dozen major Holmes collections in the United States and is one of the largest in the South. Suitable for most scholars (history, pop culture, graphic arts, what have you), selections from Mann's collection will be on display at the Hill Memorial Library from October 3 until January 28. (225) 578-6544 or lib.lsu.edu/special.