Traditionally, the canon of Sherlock Holmes consists of the 56

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

and four

novels A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...

written by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

.Peter Haining, "Introduction" in Edited by Peter Haining. In this context, the term "

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

" is an attempt to distinguish between Doyle's original works and subsequent works by other authors using the same characters. Usually capitalized by fans of the

Sherlockian game The Sherlockian game (also known as the Holmesian game, the Great Game or simply the Game; also as the Higher Criticism) is the pastime of attempting to resolve anomalies and clarify implied details about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson from the 56 ...

as "the Canon", the description of these 60 adventures as the Sherlock Holmes canon and the game of applying the methods of "

Higher Criticism Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world b ...

" to it was started by

Ronald Knox Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an English Catholic priest, theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an ...

as a playful use of the traditional definition of canon as an authoritative list of books accepted as holy scripture.

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers ( ; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime novelist, playwright, translator and critic. Born in Oxford, Sayers was brought up in rural East Anglia and educated at Godolphin School in Salisbury and Somerv ...

, ''Unpopular Opinions'' (London: Victor Gollancz, 1946), 7.

Novels

The four novels of the canon: #''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 Detective fiction, detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would go on to become one of the most well-known detective ...

'' (1887) #''

The Sign of the Four ''The Sign of the Four'', also called ''The Sign of Four'', is an 1890 detective novel, and it is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring ...

'' (1890) #''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four Detective fiction, crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serial (literature), serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from ...

'' (1901–1902) #''

The Valley of Fear ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1914–1915)

Short stories

The 56 short stories are collected in five books: #''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which h ...

'' (1892) #''

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published late in 1893 with 1894 date. It was first published in the UK by G. Newnes Ltd., and was published in the US by Harper ...

'' (1894) #''

The Return of Sherlock Holmes ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the ''Strand Magazine'' in Britain and ''Collier's'' ...

'' (1905) #''

His Last Bow ''His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1917 collection of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, including the titular short story, " His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock ...

'' (1917) #''

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' is the final set of twelve (out of a total of fifty-six) Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the ''Strand Magazine'' between October 1921 and April 1927. T ...

'' (1927)

''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1892)

Published 14 October 1892; contains 12 stories published in '' The Strand'' between June 1891 and June 1892 with original illustrations by

Sidney Paget Sidney Edward Paget (; 4 October 1860 – 28 January 1908) was a British artist of the Victorian era, best known for his illustrations that accompanied Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories in ''The Strand Magazine''. Life Sidney ...

. #"

A Scandal in Bohemia "A Scandal in Bohemia" is the first short story, and the third overall work, featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It is the first of the 56 Holmes short stories written by Doyle and the first of 38 Sherlock Holmes ...

" (June 1891) #"

The Red-Headed League "The Red-Headed League" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It first appeared in ''Strand Magazine, The Strand Magazine'' in August 1891, with illustrations by Sidney Paget. Conan Doyle ranked "Th ...

" (August 1891) #"

A Case of Identity A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

" (September 1891) #" The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (October 1891) #"

The Five Orange Pips "The Five Orange Pips", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fifth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in Nov ...

" (November 1891) #"

The Man with the Twisted Lip "The Man with the Twisted Lip", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine' ...

" (December 1891) #"

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seventh story of twelve in the collection ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Ma ...

" (January 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Speckled Band "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eighth story of twelve in the collection ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Strand Magaz ...

" (February 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Th ...

" (March 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

" (April 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the eleventh of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''T ...

" (May 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the last of the twelve collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine' ...

" (June 1892)

''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' (1894)

Contains 12 stories published in ''The Strand'' as further episodes of the ''Adventures'' between December 1892 and December 1893 with original illustrations by

(after the magazine publication, Doyle included " The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" only in the ''His Last Bow'' collection). #"

The Adventure of Silver Blaze "The Adventure of Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the first from the 12 in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazi ...

" (December 1892) #" The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" (January 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Yellow Face "The Adventure of the Yellow Face", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the third tale from ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdo ...

" (February 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk "The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the fourth of the twelve collected in ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' in most British editions of the canon, ...

" (March 1893) #" The Adventure of the ''Gloria Scott''" (April 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The story was originally published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in May 1893, and in ''Harper's ...

" (May 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Reigate Squire ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

" (June 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Crooked Man "The Adventure of the Crooked Man", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazi ...

" (July 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Resident Patient "The Adventure of the Resident Patient", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was originally published in ''T ...

" (August 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was originally published in ' ...

" (September 1893) #"

The Adventure of the Naval Treaty "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazi ...

" (October–November 1893) #"

The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title " ...

" (December 1893)

''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905)

Contains 13 stories published in ''The Strand'' between October 1903 and December 1904 with original illustrations by

. #"

The Adventure of the Empty House "The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''Collier's'' in the ...

" (October 1903) #"

The Adventure of the Norwood Builder "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''Collier's'' (US) on 31 October 1 ...

" (November 1903) #"

The Adventure of the Dancing Men "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" is a Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as one of 13 stories in the cycle published as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' in 1905. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the ...

" (December 1903) #"

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was first published in ''Collier's ...

" (January 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Priory School "The Adventure of the Priory School", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''Collier's'' in t ...

" (February 1904) #"

The Adventure of Black Peter "The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' (US) in February 1904 and in ''The Strand Magazine' ...

" (March 1904) #"

The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' in the United States on 26 March 1904, and in ''The Strand Magazine'' in ...

" (April 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Six Napoleons "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''Collier's'' in t ...

" (May 1904) #" The Adventure of the Three Students" (June 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was first published in ''The Str ...

" (July 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was originally published in ...

" (August 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Abbey Grange "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905). It was first published in ''The Strand ...

" (September 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Second Stain "The Adventure of the Second Stain", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (1905) and the only unrecorded case mentioned pa ...

" (December 1904)

''His Last Bow'' (1917)

Contains 7 stories published 1908–1917. Many editions of ''His Last Bow'' have eight stories, with " The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" being a part of this collection rather than in ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes''. #"

The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" is one of the fifty-six Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. One of eight stories in the volume '' His Last Bow'', it is a lengthy, two-part story consisting of "The Singular Experience ...

" (September-October 1908) #"

The Adventure of the Red Circle "The Adventure of the Red Circle" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is included in the anthology '' His Last Bow''. Plot Mrs. Warren, a landlady, comes to 221B Baker Street with some questions abou ...

" (March- April 1911) #"

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as ''His Last Bow'' (1917), and is the second and final main appear ...

" (December 1908) #"

The Adventure of the Dying Detective "The Adventure of the Dying Detective", in some editions simply titled "The Dying Detective", is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories that were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' in the United ...

" (December 1913) #"

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of the eight stories in the cycle collected as '' His Last Bow'' (1917), and one of the few stories in which ...

" (December 1911) #"

The Adventure of the Devil's Foot "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" from 1910 is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as '' His Last Bow''. Doyle ranked "The Adventure of the Devil's Foo ...

" (December 1910) #" His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes" (September 1917)

''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927)

Contains 12 stories published 1921–1927. #"

The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in October 1921, and w ...

" (October 1921) #"

The Problem of Thor Bridge "The Problem of Thor Bridge" is a Sherlock Holmes short story by Arthur Conan Doyle collected in '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first published in 1922 in ''The Strand Magazine'' (UK) and '' Hearst's International'' (US). ...

" (February-March 1922) #"

The Adventure of the Creeping Man "The Adventure of the Creeping Man" (1923) is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle collected in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). The story was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom ...

" (March 1923) #"

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes stories collected between 1921 and 1927 as '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in the January 1924 issue ...

" (January 1924) #"

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One of the 12 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927), it was first ...

" (January 1925) #"

The Adventure of the Illustrious Client "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" (1924) is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and one of the 12 stories collected as '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' (1927). It was first ...

" (February-March 1925) #"

The Adventure of the Three Gables "The Adventure of the Three Gables" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, collected as one of 12 in ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in 1926 ...

" (October 1926) #" The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" (November 1926) #"

The Adventure of the Lion's Mane "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane" (1926), one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It is notable for bein ...

" (December 1926) #"

The Adventure of the Retired Colourman "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman" (1926), one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. Plot Sherlock Hol ...

" (January 1927) #"

The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" (1927), one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. Plot Holmes is vi ...

" (February 1927) #"

The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place" is the last of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story is part of the short story collection ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in the US in ''Liberty ...

" (April 1927)

Extracanonical works

Since the author's death, professional and amateur Holmesians have discussed endlessly the expansion of this canon, to include other works by Doyle, including works in other media, into the current complete adventures. Rumours have always surrounded lost works, and in recent years further investigations have revealed more to the traditionally collected canon. As there exists no definitive body to argue what is, and what is not canonical beyond the already established novels and stories, it is unlikely that any piece, no matter how good its claim to be "canonical" will ever be popularly received into published versions of the Complete Sherlock Holmes. However, as many as eighteen works have been cited as possible entrants. These works include plays, poems, essays on the character, and even short stories. Published collections of extracanonical works include: ''Sherlock Holmes: The Published Apocrypha'', edited by Jack Tracy; ''The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', edited by Peter Haining; ''The Uncollected Sherlock Holmes'', edited by

Richard Lancelyn Green Richard GordonBurke's Landed Gentry, 18th ed., vol. 3, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, 1972, 'Lancelyn Green of Poulton-Lancelyn' pedigree Lancelyn Green (10 July 1953 – 27 March 2004) was a British scholar of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock ...

; and the final volume of

Leslie S. Klinger Leslie S. Klinger is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels ''Dracula'', ''Frankenstein'', and ''Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and ...

's ''Sherlock Holmes Reference Library'' titled ''The Apocrypha of Sherlock Holmes''. These works, each with slightly different contents, discussed several titles and their place in the canon.

Noncanonical works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In addition to the canon, Doyle wrote (occasionally with a co-writer) a number of vignettes, play adaptations and essays involving Holmes, and two short stories in which Holmes makes a possible cameo appearance. Most were published in various places during his lifetime; another has only come to light since his death. These are listed below with further detail. All these works except the plays are collected in ''The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.

Short stories

= "The Field Bazaar" (1896)

= "The Field Bazaar" was written for an

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

fundraising event. Doyle had been requested by his university to contribute a short piece of literature for a charity magazine. In the story, Watson has received a similar request and whilst he reads the letter at

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regi ...

, Holmes correctly deduces the sender of the letter and Watson's thoughts with regard to the letter. It has many similarities with the canonical stories, most notably the metafictional twist in which Watson supplants Doyle as the author publishing his own stories in a magazine. It also plays upon not only the famous skill of Holmes' observations producing apparently miraculous results, but also the notion of the "traditional breakfast scenes" which open many Holmes short stories.

="The Story of the Man with the Watches" (1898)

= Though Doyle had killed off his character in "

" (1893), he still wrote other short stories for publication in ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'', including "The Story of the Man with the Watches" (published in July 1898, with illustrations by Frank Craig). It was collected in Doyle's ''Round the Fire Stories'' (1908) and ''Tales of Terror and Mystery'' (1922). The story concerns the appearance of a dead man in a railway carriage, with six pocket watches in his jacket. An explanation is offered by an unnamed "well-known criminal investigator", but the narrator notes that it is flawed, as it doesn't take into account all the facts. A man involved in the accidental murder of the victim writes a letter to the detective, saying that it was a "mighty ingenious" solution but entirely incorrect and continues to share the true events of that day. Some commentators have proposed that the unnamed detective is Holmes. The story shares the same backing for categorising as a Sherlock Holmes story as " The Story of the Lost Special", and appears in French anthologies. The story was adapted for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

in 2009 as "The Thirteen Watches", in an episode from ''

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 200 ...

''. The story was also adapted for radio in 2012 as "The Addleton Tragedy", an episode of the ''

Imagination Theatre ''Imagination Theatre'' is an American syndicated radio drama program airing on AM broadcasting, AM and FM broadcasting, FM radio stations across the United States. It features modern radio dramas. The program first aired in 1996. Originally prod ...

'' radio series ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.

="The Story of the Lost Special" (1898)

= "The Story of the Lost Special" was published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in August 1898. It depicts a seemingly inexplicable mystery in which a special train and its few passengers disappear between two stations. After the mystery is described in full, it is stated that a letter appeared in the press, giving a proposed solution from "an amateur reasoner of some celebrity". As with "The Story of the Man with the Watches", it is possible, and has been proposed by Haining, Tracy, and Green, amongst others that this "amateur reasoner" was Sherlock Holmes. The strongest clue to this is the quotation, "once one has eliminated the impossible...", used by Holmes throughout his deductions. However, this suggested solution is proved wrong by a confession from the organising criminal once he is later arrested for an unrelated crime. Haining suggested that Doyle was "getting out some Holmes" during the series hiatus, but given the failure of the unnamed detective it appears he was parodying his most famous creation. The story was published in book form in Doyle's ''Round the Fire Stories'' (1908), and has for years appeared in French editions of the complete adventures.Peter Haining, "Introduction" in Edited by Peter Haining.

= Plot for Sherlock Holmes Story (c. 1900)

= When searching through Doyle's papers,

Hesketh Pearson Edward Hesketh Gibbons Pearson (20 February 1887 – 9 April 1964) was an English actor, theatre director and writer. He is known mainly for his biographies; they made him the leading British biographer of his time, in terms of commercial succes ...

, a biographer of his, came across a plan for an unwritten story. As Richard Lancelyn Green notes, "there is no evidence to show that it is by oyleand strong internal evidence to suggest that it's not". Various authors have attempted to complete the story (named "The Adventure of the Tall Man" by Peter Haining) and put it alongside the canon. Some are very close to Doyle's plot, others include variations from it. However no 'official' completion has been made (in the same way as ''

The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes ''The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes'' is a short story collection of twelve Sherlock Holmes pastiches, first published in 1954. It was written by Adrian Conan Doyle, who was the son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes), and b ...

'' was intended as an official continuation of the canon).

= "How Watson Learned the Trick" (1924)

= In 1922, several authors were approached to contribute to the library of

Queen Mary's Dolls' House Queen Mary's Dolls' House is a dollhouse, doll's house built in the early 1920s, completed in 1924, for the British queen Mary of Teck. It was designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, with contributions from many notable artists and craftsmen o ...

. Doyle wrote a short Sherlock Holmes story, just 503 words long, onto the tiny pages of a specially constructed miniature book: "How Watson Learned the Trick". The story was later published alongside works by other authors in ''The Book of the Queen's Dolls' House Library'' (1924). Though written 28 years after "The Field Bazaar", this is almost a companion piece to that story. Like "The Field Bazaar", this story is a breakfast scene, during which Watson attempts to mimic Holmes' style in guessing his thoughts. Watson's intuitions are proved wrong, however. Unlike almost all parts of the Sherlock Holmes story it is written in the third person, presumably due to its length.

Stageplays

=''Angels of Darkness'' (c. 1889)

= Unpublished until 2000, this play was written shortly after ''A Study in Scarlet'' was published. It is essentially a rewrite of the American chapters of ''A Study in Scarlet'', with the London action moving to San Francisco. Holmes is not present, but Watson is, in a very different form. He acts discreditably and even marries another woman. The publication of this play was at first suppressed, Doyle's biographer,

John Dickson Carr John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 – February 27, 1977) was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He lived in England for a number of years, and ...

stated that it would do no good for the public to read this, a view that Haining endorses readily. The play is notable for its contrasting sensationalist and comic scenes, and it is contained in Klinger's Apocrypha.

=''Sherlock Holmes: A Drama in Four Acts'' (or ''Sherlock Holmes'') (1899)

= The original Sherlock Holmes play written by Arthur Conan Doyle and

William Gillette William Hooker Gillette (July 24, 1853 – April 29, 1937) was an American actor-manager, playwright, and stage manager in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage and in a 191 ...

had a successful run of over 30 years. It has many original parts which are not found in the short stories but borrows many events from the canonical adventures, namely "

" and "

The Adventure of the Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title " ...

". Also, it had elements from ''

'', ''

'', " The Boscombe Valley Mystery", "

", and "

". It includes the very first mention of the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson". While Doyle wrote the original version, it is unclear how much of his material survived in the play as performed, which was written by Gillette. Doyle and Gillette later revised the play together; it has since been revised by others twice.

=''The Speckled Band'' (or ''The Stonor Case'') (1902)

= Around 1902, Doyle wrote and produced a play based on his short story "

". It premièred 8 years later, at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 4 June 1910, with H. A. Saintsbury as Sherlock Holmes and

Lyn Harding David Llewellyn Harding (12 October 1867 – 26 December 1952), known professionally as Lyn Harding, was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio. He had an imposing and menac ...

as Dr. Grimesby Roylott. The play, originally entitled ''The Stonor Case'', differs from the story in several small details, such as the names of some of the characters and the timeline is also changed. Holmes mentions Mary Morstan, who had already proposed Dr. Watson, twice and Charles Augustus Milverton also appears as a character.

=''The Crown Diamond: An Evening With Mr Sherlock Holmes'' (1921)

= "The Crown Diamond" is an alternate version of the short story "

" though it predates its counterpart by some time, The play was first performed as "Evening with Sherlock Holmes" on 2 May 1921. Sometime during the original run the short story was adapted from the play.

Essays and retrospectives

Arthur Conan Doyle rarely gave interviews or publicly discussed his character. However, the following is a list of Doyle essays on his character which are currently in publication, either in Green or Haining's book or in standard editions of the ''Complete Stories'':

="To An Undiscerning Critic" (1912)

= Guiterman first published his homage in ''America in Life'' (5 December 1912) and then in ''

London Opinion ''London Opinion and Today'', often known as ''London Opinion'', was a British magazine published from 1903 until 1954, when it was merged with Pearson's ''Men Only''. It ran weekly from 26 December 1903 to 27 June 1931, and was then published mo ...

'' (14 December 1912), and in his collection ''The Laughing Muse''. Doyle's answer appeared in the 26 December 1912 issue of ''London Opinion'' and was reprinted in the memoir of the editor of ''London Opinion'', Lincoln Springfield. The late Dean Dickensheet appears to be the first to print the poems together, in ''An 'Undiscerning Critic' Discerned''.

="Some Personalia about Mr. Sherlock Holmes" (1917)

= This essay was featured in ''The Strand Magazine'' as a Christmas treat to its readers. It talks of the way Holmes had caught the public imagination and Doyle's view on his character.

="The Truth About Sherlock Holmes" (1923)

= An essay from ''Collier's Weekly'', in which Doyle explains exactly where Holmes came from. It contains, at the end, J. M. Barrie's "The Adventure of the Two Collaborators".

="Mr. Sherlock Holmes to His Readers" (1927)

= This appeared in ''The Strand Magazine'' to introduce a competition to name the best Sherlock Holmes adventures. The same essay, with two paragraphs cut, appears as the preface to ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''.

="How I Made My List" (1927)

= This is the sequel to the article mentioned above. In it, Doyle listed what he thought were the best Holmes adventures. He noted that had he been able to include stories from ''The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes'' he would certainly have included "

" and "

". The list is as follows: #"

" #"

" Richard Lancelyn Green's ''The Uncollected Sherlock Holmes'' also includes five prefaces to the various editions of Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, Doyle's speech at the Stoll Convention Dinner (1921), some chapters from Doyle's autobiography ''Memoirs and Adventures'', and several interviews.

Works of interest by other authors

These are works which have in the past been thought to have been written by Doyle. Some have been conclusively proved to have no Doyle input, the composition of others still remains unclear.

''The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes'' (1954)

'', is a 1954 collection of stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle's son

Adrian Conan Doyle Adrian Malcolm Conan Doyle (19 November 19103 June 1970) was the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his second wife Jean, Lady Doyle or Lady Conan Doyle. He had two siblings, sister Jean Conan Doyle and brother Denis, as well as two hal ...

and Arthur's biographer, novelist

. The stories are generally extrapolations of cases briefly mentioned in the canonical work, but tend to contradict themselves and each other. They are generally considered

Sherlock Holmes pastiches Sherlock Holmes has long been a popular character for pastiche, Holmes-related work by authors and creators other than Arthur Conan Doyle. Their works can be grouped into four broad categories: *New Sherlock Holmes stories *Stories in which Holme ...

. The stories contained in the collection are: #"

The Adventure of the Seven Clocks "The Adventure of the Seven Clocks" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Adrian Conan Doyle (the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator) and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection '' The Exploits ...

" #" The Adventure of the Gold Hunter" #" The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers" #" The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle" #" The Adventure of the Black Baronet" #" The Adventure of the Sealed Room" #" The Adventure of Foulkes Rath" #" The Adventure of the Abbas Ruby" #" The Adventure of the Dark Angels" #" The Adventure of the Two Women" #" The Adventure of the Deptford Horror" #" The Adventure of the Red Widow"

Short stories

="The Case of the Man Who Was Wanted" (c. 1914)

= This mystery, a completed Sherlock Holmes story, was found in 1942 by a Doyle biographer, Hesketh Pearson, searching through a box of Doyle's papers. It was originally announced that the story would not be published by the Doyle estate, but it was announced it certainly was by Doyle, as the manuscript supposedly appeared in his own handwriting. However, according to Jon L. Lellenberg in ''Nova 57 Minor'', the manuscript was not in Doyle's handwriting, but typewritten. ''The Strand Magazine'' published extracts from it in August 1943, and it was finally published after demand from Sherlock Holmes societies in 1947, when it was embraced as a new (if slightly inferior) part of the canon by

The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Irregulars is an organization of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts founded in 1934 by Christopher Morley. As of 2015, the nonprofit organization had about 300 members worldwide. The group has published ''The Baker Street Journal,'' ...

amongst others. Initial suspicions of forgery were reported by Vincent Starret. In September 1945, a letter was received by

, a biographer of Sir Arthur. The letter stated, "My pride is not unduly hurt by your remark that 'The Man who was Wanted' is certainly not up to scratch for the sting is much mitigated by your going on to remark that it carries the authentic trade–mark! This, I feel, is a great compliment to my one and only effort at plagiarism." The letter was written by an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

named Arthur Whitaker who had sent the story to Arthur Conan Doyle in 1911 with a suggestion that they publish it as a joint collaboration. Doyle refused, but sent Whitaker a "cheque for ten

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

" in payment for the story. After seeing it attributed to Sir Arthur in the ''Sunday Dispatch'', Whitaker wrote a letter to Denis Conan Doyle explaining the true authorship. Denis forwarded the letter to his brother Adrian, who became angry, demanded proof, and threatened legal action. Whitaker had retained a carbon copy and the Doyles admitted in 1949, after seeing the carbon copy and listening to people who had read it in 1911, that Whitaker was the author. Doyle had bought the story, in the thought that he might use the idea at a later date, but he never did. Pearson, Green, Tracy and the Doyle estate agree that Whitaker wrote the story, though Haining still claims that "the opening scene between Holmes and Watson betrays the hand of the master", and that the story is partly written by Doyle. He points out that Doyle's wife, sons and biographer were fooled by the style, and it is possible there was a redraft made. The story is published in Penguin's ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' collection under the title of "The Adventure of the Sheffield Banker."

="The Adventure of the Two Collaborators" (first published 1923)

= Though never claimed by any serious critic to be a Doyle work, this parody is listed here due to a popular misconception that this was written by Doyle for his friend,

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

(of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' fame). (Perhaps contributing to this misconception is the fact that the story appears for the first time only in a work of Doyle's, and all subsequent printings are from that source.) In fact, this story was written by Barrie for Doyle following a period of the two of them working together on a play,

Jane Annie ''Jane Annie, or The Good Conduct Prize'' is a comic opera written in 1893 by J. M. Barrie and Arthur Conan Doyle, with music by Ernest Ford, a conductor and occasional composer. When the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership disbanded after the pr ...

. The story itself involves Doyle and Barrie visiting Holmes, with Doyle killing Holmes due to his irritating intelligence (which perhaps reflects Doyle's killing off of the character in "

").

Stageplays

;''The Painful Predicament of Mr Sherlock Holmes'' (1905) The recognition of William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes was growing as a result of the success of the play ''Sherlock Holmes''. Playing upon his most famous role, a short comedy sketch performed by William Gillette as a curtain raiser to an unrelated play. It involves a mute Sherlock Holmes, and a very talkative client. In Haining and Tracy's books, they speculate as to whether or not this play was written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Certainly Gillette would have needed Doyle's consent to write an original work involving Sherlock Holmes, as the character was under copyright, but it is presumed by most Sherlockians that Gillette wrote the whole thing himself. Haining, however claims that Gillette may have asked Doyle to 'whip up something quickly for him'. However, no manuscript exists in Doyle's hand, and no reference of the play is left by him, it has been assumed by most that it is little more than a William Gillette curiosity.

Sequels authorised by the Conan Doyle Estate

Caleb Carr

Caleb Carr Caleb Carr (August 2, 1955 – May 23, 2024) was an American military historian and author. Carr was the second of three sons born to Lucien Carr and Francesca Von Hartz. Carr authored '' The Alienist'', '' The Angel of Darkness'', '' Casing t ...

, author of

The Alienist ''The Alienist'' is a crime novel by Caleb Carr first published in 1994 and is the first book in the Kreizler series. It takes place in New York City in 1896, and includes appearances by many famous figures of New York society in that era, in ...

, had been writing a Sherlock Holmes short story for the 2006 collection, "The Ghosts in Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes", but was given the approval of the Doyle estate to expand this it into a full novel, published in 2005. It is not considered canonical, instead, it is a literary

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

Lyndsay Faye

In 2009 Lyndsay Faye authored "Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson" which pits

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

against

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

.'Dust and Shadow' by Lyndsay Faye
at ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' The book is Faye's first novel and it has the blessing of Conan Doyle's heirs.

Anthony Horowitz

In 2011, a new Sherlock Holmes novel written by British author

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include the '' Alex Rider'' series featuring a 14-year-old British boy who spi ...

was published, entitled ''

The House of Silk ''The House of Silk'' is a Sherlock Holmes novel written by British author Anthony Horowitz, published in 2011. Plot summary ''The House of Silk'' begins with a brief, personal recounting of events by Watson, much like that in ''A Study in S ...

'', it was the first official sequel authorised by the

Conan Doyle Conan may refer to: People * Saint Conan (died 684), bishop of the Isle of Man * Conan of Cornwall (c. 930 – c. 950), bishop of Cornwall * Conan I of Rennes (died 992), duke of Brythonic Brittany * Conan II, Duke of Brittany (died 1066), duke ...

Estate. In 2014, a follow-up novel (but not a sequel), entitled '' Moriarty'', was published, also written by Horowitz.

Gareth Rubin

In April 2024, a new novel '' Holmes and Moriarty'' was announced for release in September 2024, written by thriller writer

Gareth Rubin Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'', etc.) is a Knights of the Round Table">Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Morgause, Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him ...

, that "focuses on Professor Moriarty, the great detective’s nemesis" authorised by the Conan Doyle Estate.Revealed: the next Sherlock Holmes author, with a twist in the tale
/ref>

Notes

References

* Edited by Jack Tracy. * Edited by Peter Haining. * Edited by Richard Lancelyn Green. * Edited by

. *

External links

Canon

* * at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Sherlockian-sherlock.com: Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes Canon – with online audiobooks

Sherlockian.Net: The original stories

Arthur Conan Doyle
at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

Writings about the Agent, the Canon, and the Apocrypha
h2>

Extracanonical works

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canon of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes Holmes, Sherlock