Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the world's most widely recognized cultural icon -- but neither he nor his stories are what most readers think. And his tales are often mysterious and enlightening in more ways than we might at first imagine.

We will focus together on the story that Conan-Doyle named as his own very favorite tale -- "The Adventure of The Speckled Band" -- and look into the ways in which this story leads us to the larger worlds of myth and symbol.

Come explore some surprising facets of this fascinating fiction, with Michael Atkinson, whose book, The Secret Marriage of Sherlock Holmes (1998), won the coveted Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

If you want to do a little advance preparation (not required), have a look at "The Adventure of the Speckled Band". It can be found in the first collection of Holmes stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and on many websites, including http://www1.webng.com/sherlockholmescases /Speckled-Band.html