and, well, we hate to say it, but Benedict Cumberbatch will have to go too.
A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock Holmes book to be published, in 1887! So if you’re here because of BBC’s Sherlock, take a second to mentally lose the smartphones, cars, GPS systems.
We’ll explain our reasoning below, but without further ado, here’s the order of Sherlock Holmes books we recommend: So if you’re new to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, we’re here to suggest a reasonable order to read them in that should keep things from getting too confusing! The books were also not written in chronological order in terms of plot, and reading them in the order of publication doesn’t help much either. The fact that there’s so many Sherlock Holmes books (novels as well as short story collections) can be confusing, with newcomers wondering which order they should read them in. But now that he was writing a well-read series, he tired of it.The Essential Guide to Reading the Sherlock Holmes BooksĮveryone’s heard of the famous British detective, many have seen one of the thrilling TV/movie adaptations, but not everyone’s read the original Sherlock Holmes books. The Los Angeles Times said Doyle told his mother that Holmes "takes his mind off better things." Before publishing the Holmes stories, Doyle had difficulty finding a publisher for his works. He then wrote Holmes short stories, published in The Strand Magazine.ĭespite creating a money-making character, Doyle didn't really like Holmes. The first adventure proved popular, and Doyle was commissioned to write a sequel, the novel that became The Sign of Four.
Joseph Bell, who himself was as fascinating as his fictional counterpart. Doyle based his detective on a teenage hero of his, Dr. And then brought him back.ĭoyle was a financially unsuccessful physician and author when he wrote the first Holmes story in 1887, according to Doyle's official website. The novel, titled A Study in Scarlet, was published in Beeton's Christmas Annual. Doyle killed his most famous literary creation. It was the reason why Doyle made - and then reversed - his most controversial decision. Who did it best? Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr., Jonny Lee Miller, or the most recent inductee, Henry Cavill? Holmes mania is not a 21st-century thing. In just the last 10 years there have been at least four actors who played Holmes in film and TV.
He lives on, not just in Arthur Conan Doyle's original four novels and 56 short stories, but in movies, TV shows, and plays. Sherlock Holmes has become one of history's greatest detectives.