4. The Strand Magazine shaped the appearance of Sherlock Holmes
In June, 1891, the first of the Sherlock Holmes short stories appeared in The Strand Magazine. Except for a break in the second half of 1892, a story depicting Holmes and Watson and their adventures featured in each edition of the magazine through December, 1893. The magazine featured illustrations by Sidney Paget, and the classic depiction of Holmes took shape through his work. The macintosh raincoat, deerstalker hat, oversized magnifying glass, and calabash pipe became symbolic of Holmes. In the stories, however, the detective was more likely to smoke cigarettes, made by his personal tobacconist in London. He also enjoyed cigars. Pipe smoking was employed for particularly difficult problems.
The first of the short stories, A Scandal in Bohemia, is related by Dr. Watson, and placed in 1888. Throughout the stories, Holmes is depicted as a man of action, physical strength, and skilled using a sword or gun, as well as other weapons. Each story offered him the opportunity to display his extraordinary powers of deduction. The detectives of Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police, as well as those of other agencies, appear as inept investigators, though courageous allies. In October 1892, the first twelve stories from Strand Magazine appeared in book form as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.