DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will be holding the virtual event, “Sherlock Holmes: The True Story” from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday via Zoom. The event is free to attend and will be hosted by self-described “lecturer in all things British,” John Gowing, and will explore the myths, legends and truths of the prominent fictitious detective. 

“People started asking when we would have the Sherlock Holmes event, so it clicked with me that we had to host the event.” Leah Huey said, adult services specialist at the DeKalb Public Library, and coordinating member for the event. 

The “Sherlock Holmes: The True Story” event will be an hour-long deep dive into the fictional sleuth; the authors who wrote about him; the actors who have played him and much more, Gowing said. The presentation will include a mystery for the audience to solve at the end. 

The first portion of the event will see Gowing go through the whole story. 

“I start off with just how popular Sherlock Holmes is,” Gowing said. “And then I tell the story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his life story and how he was inspired to create the detective.”

The second portion of the event is a virtual tour, taking the audience through places linked with all things Sherlock Holmes, Gowing said. 

“The second half shows some slides of London where there is a relevance to where Doyle was, and then taking it through the famous actors who played him,” Gowing said.  

Gowing, a U.K. native, is an experienced presenter, according to his Huntley Community Radio page He’s “A Very British Subject.”  Gowing was “born and raised in London,” where he was “a teacher for 32 years before becoming a Blue Badge Tour Guide in 2008. Since then, he has enjoyed guiding English-speaking clients from all over the world around England’s major tourist sites,” according to Gowing’s bio on the Huntley Community Radio page. 

Gowing said the presentation is intended to drive the audience to dig deeper into Sherlock Holmes, hopefully finding themselves reading the novels and short stories. 

“Any of my talks that I do are not dependent on any prior knowledge. I tell the story so anyone can sign up for it, and then be introduced to the character,” Gowing said. “I’d really like introducing people to the character.” 

With the event requiring no prior knowledge of the detective, the event is fit for the newly introduced or unfamiliar as well as versed Sherlock Holmes fans.

For more information on this event and how to get registered to attend, visit the event page at the DeKalb Public Library website.