Traditionally, the canon of Sherlock Holmes consists of the 56

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one 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 oldest t ...

and four novels 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 Ho ...

.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 conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

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

as "the Canon", the description of these 60 adventures as the Sherlock Holmes

and the game of applying the methods of " Higher Criticism" to it was started by

Ronald Knox Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an English Catholic priest, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned a high reputation as a classicist, Knox wa ...

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 writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

, ''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 novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title der ...

'' (1887) #''

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

'' (1890) #''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is se ...

'' (1901–1902) #''

The Valley of Fear ''The Valley of Fear'' is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the ''Strand Magazine ...

'' (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 twelve 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, w ...

'' (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'' (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 Hol ...

'' (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. Ti ...

'' (1927)

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

Published 14 October 1892; contains 12 stories published in '' The Strand'' between July 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 Sid ...

. #" A Scandal in Bohemia" (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 ''The Strand Magazine'' in August 1891, with illustrations by Sidney Paget. Conan Doyle ranked "The Red-Headed Leag ...

" (August 1891) #"

A Case of Identity "A Case of Identity" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is the third story in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It first appeared in ''The Strand Magazine'' in September 1891. Plot summa ...

" (September 1891) #"

The Boscombe Valley Mystery "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the fifty-six short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in the ''Strand Magazine'' ...

" (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 Magazi ...

" (December 1891) #"

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" (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 Ma ...

" (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 ''T ...

" (March 1892) #"

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the tenth of the twelve stories collected in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. The story was first published in ''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 Magazin ...

" (June 1892)

''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' (1893–94)

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 "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom in January 1893, and in ''Harper's Weekly'' ...

" 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 Magaz ...

" (December 1892) #"

" (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" (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 Adventure of the Reigate Squire", also known as "The Adventure of the Reigate Squires" and "The Adventure of the Reigate Puzzle", is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first publish ...

" (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 Magazin ...

" (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 ' ...

" (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 Maga ...

" (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 ...

" (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 Uni ...

" (December 1903) #"

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" (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 th ...

" (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 th ...

" (May 1904) #"

The Adventure of the Three Students "The Adventure of the Three Students", 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 S ...

" (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" (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 "

" 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 Experienc ...

" (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''. Synopsis Mrs. Warren, a landlady, comes to 221B Baker Street with some questions ...

" (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 appea ...

" (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 Unit ...

" (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 ...

" (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 Fo ...

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

" (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). ...

" (1922) #" The Adventure of the Creeping Man" (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 issues ...

" (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 pu ...

" (1924) #"

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 p ...

" (1924) #" The Adventure of the Three Gables" (1926) #"

The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" (1926) is one of 12 Sherlock Holmes short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, include in '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes''; it was first published in the US in ''Liberty'' in October 1926, ...

" (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 ...

" (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 ...

" (1926) #"

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''. Synopsis Holmes is ...

" (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 ...

" (1927)

Conan Doyle's Favourite Stories

#"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (1892) #"The Red-headed League" (1891) #"The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (1903) #"The Final Problem" (1893) #"A Scandal in Bohemia" (1891) #"The Adventure of the Empty House" (1903) #"The Five Orange Pips" (1891) #"The Adventure of the Second Stain" (1904) #"The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot" (1910) #"The Adventure of the Priory School" (1904) #"The Musgrave Ritual" (1893) #"The Reigate Squires" (1893)

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 canon 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'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 ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...

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, 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 that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

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, 2008 ...

''. The number of watches was changed because the new title came from a reference (in the Holmes story " The Noble Bachelor") to Holmes' involvement with the watches incident. The story was also adapted for radio in 2012 as "The Addleton Tragedy", an episode of the '' Imagination Theatre'' 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 a British actor, theatre director and writer. He is known mainly for his popular biographies; they made him the leading British biographer of his time, in terms of commercia ...

, 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'' 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 built in the early 1920s, completed in 1924, for Queen Mary, the wife of King George V. It was designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, with contributions from many notable artists and craftsmen of the ...

. 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 is ...

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 1916 ...

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 " A Scandal in Bohemia" 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 ''

'', ''

'', "

", "

", 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 and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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, Sometime during the original run the short story was adapted from the play, this is the reason that the narrative is told in third person rather than by the traditional narrator Watson. Some claim that the play originally appeared in an early draft of "Sherlock Holmes" (above) and was later removed, with some elements finding their way into "

" before the entire play was resurrected, some years later, into "The Crown Diamond" and "The Mazarin Stone."

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 m ...

'' (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: #"

" #"

" #" A Scandal in Bohemia" #"

" #"

" 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)

'' The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes'', 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 H ...

. 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 Gold Hunter" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery 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 Ex ...

" #"

The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers "The Adventure of the Wax Gamblers" is a Sherlock Holmes short story written in collaboration 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 1 ...

" #"

The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle "The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery story written in collaboration 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 Adventure of the Black Baronet "The Adventure of the Black Baronet" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery written by Adrian Conan Doyle (the youngest son of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection ''The ...

" #"

The Adventure of the Sealed Room "The Adventure of the Sealed Room" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery 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 Exp ...

" #" The Adventure of Foulkes Rath" #"

The Adventure of the Abbas Ruby "The Adventure of the Abbas Ruby" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator. The story was published in the 1954 collection '' The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes''. It ...

" #" The Adventure of the Dark Angels" #"

The Adventure of the Two Women "The Adventure of the Two Women" is a Sherlock Holmes crime story by Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator. The story was published in the 1954 collection '' The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes''. ...

" #" 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. The nonprofit organization currently numbers some 300 individuals worldwide. The group has published '' The Baker Street Journa ...

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 succ ...

(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 mythi ...

'' 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 p ...

. 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.Peter Haining, "Introduction" in Edited by Peter Haining.

Notes

References

* Edited by Jack Tracy. * Edited by Peter Haining. * Edited by Richard Lancelyn Green. * Edited by Leslie S. Klinger. *

External links

Canon

* at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

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 libr ...

Writings about the Agent, the Canon, and the Apocrypha

Extracanonical works

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