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“To readers of the accounts of my investigatory cases:

“I have undertaken to commit this autobiographical revelation of the factual events of my life to writing, at the suggestion and encouragement of my best friend in the world, my brother Mycroft Holmes.”

“The written record of my adventures as conveyed by Dr. John Hamish Watson, rather than myself, as you will read herein, are a fallacious perversion of the reality of my own identity and activities.”

You may recall that, at the end of the first published story of my detectives adventures, A Study in Scarlet, Watson was so impressed by my elegant handling of the case, and so incensed by Scotland Yard’s claiming full credit for its solution, that he exclaimed: “Your merits should be publicly recognized. You should publish an account of the case.  If you won’t, I will for you.”

Owing to my utter disinterest in self-proclamation, and my propensity toward the incessant pursuit of new mysteries to solve, my response to this proposal was, “You may do what you like, Doctor.”

Hence, Watson proceeded to write the story, which was represented as “a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson”, or so I was led to assume.  None of the facts you will read herein have ever been surmised, supposed and imagined with respect to any of my adventures.  Indeed, the nature and identity of the dramatis personae on the stage of the intrigue I relate to you now have never before been revealed.

The challenges of this case were the most difficult I ever faced in my career.  Indeed, the formidable combination of investigation skills, information gathering, and persistence required the considerable energies of both myself and my dear brother, Mycroft, together with a legion of agents from the Office of The Chancellor of The Exchequer, as well as the Secret Information Services (SIS), whose resources were engaged upon the matter for several years.”

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence.”

I invite you to join this escapade, if you will indulge me, into my ultimate adventure.  Moreover, I trust that posterity will inherit some small benefit from these observations upon the volatile process, distillation and residue of my life.”

Sherlock Holmes

Sussex Downs, England”

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— Excerpted from “An Open Letter from Sherlock Holmes”, published in the book, “Sherlock Holmes: My Life”