Reading lists

Where to start with Sherlock Holmes

You definitely know who Sherlock Holmes is. But with four novels and 56 short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, where’s the best place to start reading?

By Penguin Team11 July 2019

The Sign of FourArthur Conan Doyle

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The Sign of Four (1890)

In 1889 an American magazine editor held a dinner in London to find some up and coming writers. As well as The Sign of Four (originally titled The Sign of the Four), the dinner also produced a commission for Oscar Wilde for what became The Picture of Dorian Gray. This Holmes novel is notable for being the story that introduces Watson’s future wife, Mary, played by Amanda Abbington in Sherlock - in a role that fills in many of the gaps that Conan Doyle left in Mary’s backstory. In The Sign of Four she turns up at Baker Street after her father disappears, and kicks off a story involving stolen jewels, cocaine and the iconic line: 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'

The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle

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The Final Problem (1893)

Possibly one of the most famous Holmes stories, this story from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is the one in which Conan Doyle finally killed Holmes off. The author ended up becoming resentful of the fact that his Sherlock Holmes books overshadowed the rest of his work, and his pleasure in getting rid of the detective is palpable in this story. Ending in an iconic battle with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, this is another story that the author himself felt was one of his best. It’s also a great read for fans of the TV show – if you are interested to see how Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss played with the dramatic finale, there are a lot of references to enjoy picking up on while reading and watching.

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