• An overview of popular publishing from the late 19th century to
the 1940s
The Strand, launched in 1890, was the first of the great British popular
illustrated magazines and boasted a roster of well-known contributors
including political sketches by Winston Churchill in his ‘wilderness years’
and tales by P.G. Wodehouse. From the early brilliance of writers such
as Grant Allen and E. W. Hornung, through the enchanting tales of
children’s favourite E. Nesbit, the robust melodramas of Sapper and his
heroes Bulldog Drummond and Ronald Standish, to the weightier work of
H. G. Wells and even Joseph Conrad, The Strand left a remarkable legacy
which repays detailed investigation.

• Sherlock Holmes and his Contemporaries
Best remembered today for its 40-year association with Conan Doyle and
Sherlock Holmes, The Strand provided a platform for popular detective
fiction in the 1920s and the broader context of the genre. Many new
detective authors emerged during and after the First World War, including
Christie and Sayers.

• Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers in London
Look in detail at how the authors rooted their characters and plots in
London, with access to some original magazines. By the 1930s, The Strand
was playing host to Lord Peter Wimsey, Hercule Poirot and by the 1940s,
Miss Marple.