The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Stories

Summary

All of the stories within The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are told in a first-person narrative from the point of view of Dr. Watson, as is the case for all but four of the Sherlock Holmes stories.[7] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Doyle suggests that the short stories contained in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes tend to point out social injustices, such as "a king's betrayal of an opera singer, a stepfather's deception of his ward as a fictitious lover, an aristocratic crook's exploitation of a failing pawnbroker, a beggar's extensive estate in Kent."[1] It suggests that, in contrast, Holmes is portrayed as offering a fresh and fair approach in an unjust world of "official incompetence and aristocratic privilege".[1] The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains many of Doyle's favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1927, he submitted a list of what he believed were his twelve best Sherlock Holmes stories to The Strand Magazine. Among those he listed were "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (as his favourite), "The Red-Headed League" (second), "A Scandal in Bohemia" (fifth) and "The Five Orange Pips" (seventh).[8] The book was banned in the Soviet Union in 1929 because of its alleged "occultism",[9] but gained popularity in a black market of similarly banned books, and the restriction was lifted in 1940.[10]

Publication sequence

Stories by publication sequence
Title Publication Plot Ref.
"A Scandal in Bohemia" July 1891 The King of Bohemia engages Holmes to recover an indiscreet photograph showing him with the renowned beauty, adventuress and opera singer Irene Adler, the revelation of which would derail his marriage. [11][12]
"The Red-Headed League" August 1891 Jabez Wilson, a pawnbroker, consults Holmes about a job which he gained only because of his red hair. [13]
"A Case of Identity" September 1891 Against the wishes of her stepfather, Mary Sutherland has become engaged to Hosmer Angel. On the morning of their wedding Angel disappears en route to the church. [14]
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery" October 1891 Inspector Lestrade asks for Holmes's help after Charles McCarthy is murdered and McCarthy's son James is implicated. [15]
"The Five Orange Pips" November 1891 John Openshaw tells Holmes that in 1883 his uncle died two months after receiving a letter inscribed "K.K.K." with five orange pips enclosed, and that in 1885 his father died soon after receiving a similar letter. [16]
"The Man with the Twisted Lip" December 1891 Neville St. Clair, a respectable businessman, has disappeared and his wife claims that she has seen him at the upper window of an opium den. [17]
"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" January 1892 A "Blue Carbuncle" jewel is stolen from a hotel suite, and a former felon is soon arrested. However, an acquaintance of Holmes discovers the gemstone in the throat of a Christmas goose. [18]
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" February 1892 Helen Stoner worries that her stepfather may be trying to kill her after he contrives to move her to the bedroom where her sister had died two years earlier, shortly before her wedding. [19]
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" March 1892 An engineer, Victor Hatherley, attends Dr Watson's surgery after his thumb is chopped off, and recounts his tale to Watson and Holmes. [20]
"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" April 1892 Lord Robert St. Simon's new American bride, Hatty Doran, has disappeared almost immediately after the wedding. [21]
"The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" May 1892 A banker asks Holmes to investigate after a "Beryl Coronet" entrusted to him is damaged at his home. [22]
"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" June 1892 Violet Hunter consults Holmes after being offered a governess job subject to a number of unusual conditions, including cutting her hair short. [23]

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