Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

List of Sherlock Holmes Short Stories and Novels

Check out OUR brilliant analysis of the short stories that would stun even Sherlock himself

Sherlock Holmes Books In Order

We use this numbering system to list the 60 stories (4 novels and 56 short stories) in the 9 books they were published in. See below for the list of short stories in each book.

• A. Study In Scarlet (1st Novel, Nov 1887)
• B. Sign of the Four (2nd Novel, Feb 1890)
• C. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1st collection of 12 short stories from 1891 - 1892)
• D. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (2nd collection of 11 short stories from 1892 - 1893*)
• E. The Hound of the Baskervilles (3rd Novel, Aug 1893)
• F. The Return of Sherlock Holmes (3rd collection of 13 short stories from 1903-1904)
• G. Valley of Fear (4th Novel, Sept 1914)
• H. His Last Bow (4th collection of 8 short stories from 1908 - 1917*)
• I. The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes (5th and final collection of 12 short stories from 1921 - 1927)

A couple of insignificant notes for those interested in fine details. The short story "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is included in The Memoirs of some versions and His Last Bow in others. Also the dates above for short stories indicate the dates they were originally pubished in magazines. The book collections were usually published the same year as the last story in the collection. You will see minor discrepencies as some stories were published in different magazines. Also note these are the dates of publication, not the date of the fictitious events that occured, which we refer to as the setting.

56 Sherlock Holmes Short Stories

While the first two novels introduced Sherlock Holmes to the public, it was the short stories that ensured his lasting success. They were published almost monthly at first, then collected and bound into books. Those stories for which we have pages of literary analysis of live links below.

C. Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

Published October 1892

The young detective has started to gain recognition by out-witting Scotland Yard. He further demonstrates his sagacious powers in these 12 adventures:

• C-1 A Scandal in Bohemia
• C-2 The Red-headed League
• C-3 A Case of identity
• C-4 The Boscombe Valley Adventure
• C-5 The Five Orange Pips
• C-6 The Man with the Twisted Lip
• C-7 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
• C-8 The Adventure of the Speckled Band
• C-9 The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
• C-10 The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
• C-11 The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
• C-12 The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

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D. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Published July 1891

Some of the best cases of the now-famous detective are included in this set of stories. They culminate in the death of Sherlock Holmes, who Sir Arthur Conan Doyle desired to assassinate so he could get on with his own more serious writing. The stories include:

• D-13 The Adventure of Silver Blaze
• D-14 The Adventure of the Cardboard Box - CARD - Jan 1893
• D-15 The Adventure of Yellow Face
• D-16 The Adventure of Stock-broker's Clerk
• D-17 The Adventure of "Gloria Scott"
• D-18 The Adventure of Musgave Ritual
• D-19 The Adventure of Reigate Puzzle
• D-20 The Adventure of Crooked Man
• D-21 The Adventure of Resident Patient
• D-22 The Adventure of Greek Interpreter
• D-23 The Adventure of Naval Treaty
• D-24 The Final Problem

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From The Adventure of the Empty House - Holmes: Describing his escape from death to Watson:
"There I was when you, my dear Watson, and all your following were investigating in the most sympathetic and inefficient manner the circumstances of my death. At last, when you had formed your inevitable and totally erroneous conclusions, you departed for the hotel and I was left alone."

F. The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Published 1905

Okay, so what does a famous author do when the public demands he resurrect their favorite detective after his death? Doyle had ho choice but to bring him back to life, which he fortunately could do by the way he originally wrote of Sherlock's death.

Of course life can't be that perfect, so he trades Mrs. Watson's life for Sherlock's. Nice dramatic touch there, Sir Doyle!

His fans forgave him for killing Mrs. Watson (hah, he never even mentioned what happened to her) as they enjoyed the next series of Sherlock Holmes short stories including:

• F-25 The Adventure of the Empty House
• F-26 The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
• F-27 The Adventure of the Dancing Men
• F-28 The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
• F-29 The Adventure of the Priory School
• F-30 The Adventure of Black Peter
• F-31 The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
• F-32 The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
• F-33 The Adventure of the Three Students
• F-34 The Adventure of the Gold Pince-Nez
• F-35 The Adventure of thw Missing Three-Quarters
• F-36 The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
• F-37 The Adventure of the Second Stain

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G. His Last Bow

Published October 1917

Unique feature of this collection The entire collection of 7 stories (eight in some American versions) bears the name of the final story: His Last Bow Therefore, when reading or writing about His Last Bow it is necessary to differentiate between the individual short story or the volume of 7 (or 8) stories. These were intended to be the final collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. (Hmmm, where did we hear THAT before?)

Watson's Preface to His Last Bow collection
A one paragraph preface alerts fans that the aging detective is retired, "somewhat crippled by occasional attacks of rheumatism" and living on a small farm. He had a brief but temporary return to practice in 1917 in which time he patriotically aided his government as the Great War loomed large. Watson took this opportunity to present to the public seven additional cases that he had in his portfolio from prior years.

In the final tale we meet Sherlock and Watson together one last time after his retirement - somewhat reminiscent of Robin Hood and Little John reuniting in Sherwood Forest. We learn that Sherlock has taken up bee-keeping and international espionage.

• H-38 The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge - WIST - Sept 1908
• H-39 The Adventure of the Bruce Partington Plans - BRUC - Dec 1908
• H-40 The Adventure of the Devil's Foot (Dec 1910)
• H-41 The Adventure of the Red Circle - REDC - March 1911
• H-42 The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax -LADY Dec 1911
• H-43 The Adventure of the Dying Detective - DYIN - Nov 1913
• H-44 His Last Bow (Sept 1917)

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I. The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes

Published June 1927

The previous Sherlock Holmes short stories all appeared in more-or-less chronological order - and were written somewhat close to the year in which the events were said to occur. In this final set of stories, Doyle gifted his readers with another 12 stories that Watson recorded in his later years and told of events that occured in the earlier career of the now-retired Sherlock.

These stories include

• I-45 The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
• I-46 The Problem of Thor Bridge
• I-47 The Adventure of the Creeping Man
• I-48 The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
• I-49 The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
• I-50 The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
• I-51 The Adventure of the Three Gables
• I-52 The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
• I-53 The Adventure of the Lion's Mane
• I-54 The Adventure of the Retired Colourman
• I-55 The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger f
• I-56 The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
  
  

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  Sherlock Holmes Longer Mysteries

  Four Multi-Chaptered Stories

  Arthur Conan Doyle produced a total 4 full length mysteries of the famous sleuth - in addition to his highly popular short stories. While the short stories are read more frequently, true Sherlockian fans continue to enjoy his larger books.
  
  These Sherlock Holmes mysteries are sometimes called novelettes. Shorter than most novels, they are multi-chaptered stories usually less than 100 pages.
  
  

  A. A Study In Scarlet

  Published 1887

  This is the original story which shows the opening of the career of Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, and his beginning partnership with the injured army surgeon, Dr. John Watson.
  
  Consisting of two parts, and fourteen chapters, it tells the story of a romance gone wrong. The content has a very negative portrayal of Mormons and is offensive to many modern day readers for that reason.
  
  

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  B. The Sign of Four

  Published February 1890

  The second of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, The Sign of Four, introduces the detective's Science of Deduction, the Baker Street Irregulars, and his client, Miss Mary Morstan - destined to become Mrs. Watson.
  
  Offensive content includes his regular abuse of cocaine (not recommended for younger readers for that reason) as well as stereotyping of an islander native.
  
  After this book was published, the short stories were written and sky-rocketed the popularity of Holmes and Doyle.
  
  

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  E. The Hound of the Baskervilles

  Published 1902

  The most famous of the full length Sherlock Holmes mysteries, The Hound of the Baskervilles, takes place after he has achieved notoriety as a detective. We also see Watson appearing solo as a detective as the two attempt to solve a sinister plot about a frightening family legend.
  
  

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  G. The Valley of Fear

  Published Feb 1915

  The last of the full length Sherlock Holmes mysteries revolves around a dead body, a non-grieving wife, and an old feud. This is a two part story with fourteen chapters. In the first part Sherlock solves the mystery of the murder. The killer then has a detailed flash-back explaining the reason behind the mystery. This mystery-in-a-mystery is a specialty of Doyle's seen also in his first novel.
  
  
  

  Buy Sherlock Holmes: The Unit Study

  
  Student Guide AND Teacher's Answer Key Included
  $2.99 Download - 183 pages
  Eight of the most popular tales demonstrate how to investigate a detective story.
  
  
  
  

  Sherlock Holmes Pages

  A catalog of our pages on Sherlock Holmes.

  Sherlock: The Unit Study

  8 popular stories for Middle or High School
  The Speckled Band

  Compelling mystery of the whistle in the night
  Silver
  Blaze

  Who, where, and why of a dead man and missing horse
  The Red Headed League

  A silly-looking prank masking an international crime
  The Engineer's Thumb

  Is this one of Doyle's best - or worst - stories?
  The
  Crooked Man

  A truly crooked man in a twisted tale of betrayal
  Scandal
  in Bohemia

  Multiple scandals in this drama of love gone wrong
  The Dancing Men

  Irony of honor in one of his saddest cases
  The Final
  Problem

  Doyle's daring decision and the outcry that followed
  More About Sherlock

  Interesting tidbits about the world's only consulting detective
  More About Dr. Watson

  There's more to Dr. Watson than readers first see
  Super Hero Prototypes

  Are Holmes and Watson the super hero protypes?
  List of All Short Stories

  List of stories and longer books
  Famous
  Quotes

  Famous quotes, brilliant sayings, and intriguing insights
  Action Plot Summary

  The unique action plot made Sherlock stories a classic.
  Who Is the Best
  Sherlock Actor?
  

  If you want to watch, find who portrayed him the best.
  Kids and
  Sherlock
  

  Most appropriate Sherlock stories for kids
  What makes Sherlock #1

  Why is he fiction's most popular character?
  What about women?
  

  An armchair quarterback in the battle of the sexes